Snowstorm
by k4l4p4
Summary: A run in with the Foot leaves Leo injured. What will happen when a stranger comes upon him? (I'm bad at summaries. There will be friendship, fluff, romance, and some action. Mature rating is more of a just in case for down the road. Also, this is based on the Bay movie, but it wasn't an option to choose)
1. Chapter 1

Quick Note: First, this character does have the same name as the girl in my other fic. I haven't decided whether that is going to be a side (eventual) story, or if it will be totally different. If it ends up not being connected, I will just rename the character in the other fic. I had started writing this one first and had to get the desire to write smut/lemons out of my system so I can actually develop this story. Please consider reviewing. I know this is in rough shape and could use some idea on if it is readable or if I need to cut some stuff out, be less detailed and more general (specifics at end), etc. I plan on explaining their reaction to the cold later in the story, but if I forget... yell at me.

**Leo's POV**

In a detached sort of way, Leo noticed the blood spreading across the snow. The bleeding was the least of his worries right now anyway.

So cold... He couldn't tell if his shivering had gotten that bad, or if another round of muscle spasms from the poison was coming on. It was becoming more difficult to breathe and as he took another gasping breath, the cold seared his lungs causing him to cough and lose what precious oxygen he had drawn in. He tried again to push himself up, but his muscles seemed to have lost the ability to support him.

How long had it been since he had been poisoned, and how long would he have? Leo knew his brothers would start searching for him if he didn't make it to the meeting spot, but he wondered if they would be able to find him in time... or if they would be able to find him at all. The heavy snow was quickly obscuring his tracks. He cast his mind back, trying to figure out how long it had been.

**Earlier...**

The four brothers crouched on the rooftop, watching as the Foot Clan thugs loaded crates into the backs of the three waiting trucks. Impatient, Raphael shifted, flexing his muscles to help stave off the cold and keep them from getting stiff, "C'mon, Fearless, let's take 'em out already and get out of this damn cold.

Leonardo resisted rolling his eyes, "Be patient, Raph. We don't even know what it is they are moving or where they're taking it."

"Ya really think we are going to be able to track them in this weather. This storm is supposed to dump a couple of feet of snow on us. And I ain't freezing my ass of all night when we could just stop them here.

"Yeah, bro. I'm freezing my shell off. I'd be down for some cocoa right about now," Mikey whined.

Leo pinched the bridge of his snout in frustration, but before he could open his mouth to reply, Donnie cleared his throat. "What, Donnie?"

"Well, I could place trackers on the trucks and we could keep tabs on them that way until this storm dies down. They might also have a point. Even though we are not strictly cold blooded, this drastic of temperature is rather more dangerous for us than it would be to the humans..."

His words trailed off rather uncertainly at the glare from Leo, but finally Leo pushed a breath out through his nose and conceded. "Fine. Go ahead and do it- but as soon as the weather clears, we go after them. The Shredder might still be missing, but we still need to figure out what the Foot and Karai are planning." He gave them their instructions and they dropped down to attach Donnie's trackers.

However, as the leader stood poised to make the dash to the truck, a loud clatter of metal pipes broke the relative quiet of the winter night. His gaze darted toward the sound to see a guilty looking Michelangelo give a sheepish grin. Somehow he had caught the edge of one and brought the whole pile down. The alarm went up and Foot soldiers scattered. Doors slammed and the engines roared to life as the trucks took off. Each of them heading in different directions.

"Split up! Mikey, stay here. Make sure they don't take anymore of this stuff and try to find out what it is. Donnie, try and get a tracker on one of those trucks. Raph and I will tail the other two until you get there!" They all took off across the rooftops after their respective trucks.

For Leo's piece of mind, they had set up an emergency meeting spot before they even started recon on this place. So if anything went wrong and they couldn't get one another on the radio, they were to meet there.

Leo had been following his truck for close to 15 minutes and was starting to notice the effects from the cold slowing him down, and the temperature was still dropping. His brothers had had a point, he thought ruefully. He had been so focused on the Foot and worrying about what they were up to, that he hadn't been thinking as clearly as he should have. The only good thing about this snow was that it was slowing the Foot's truck down as well.

Perhaps it was the cold making his thoughts and reflexes slower, or simply that his mind was elsewhere, but he didn't see or sense the shadowy figure hurtling towards him until it was too late. Thankfully, his training saved him for serious injury and he twisted with the blow to roll back to his feet.

Standing across from him was Shredder's right hand woman, Karai. After his disappearance, she had stepped forward to take control of the clan. The new fighters that Karai had been recruiting were better trained in hand-to-hand combat and relied less on guns. As their enemies had found out, the brothers' shells were resistant to all but the armor piercing bullets.

Some of these new recruits fanned out across the roof to surround him. Karai gave an almost imperceptible hand signal and they all leapt to attack.

Despite the cold slowing him down, he was able to dodge most of the first attacks; dancing between them and cutting them down. When he turned to engage Karai however, he was blinded by a thick white powder that was thrown at his face. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision. Master Splinter had trained them to fight blindfolded, so they would be forced to use their other senses; but even with this training, the Foot soldiers scored several deep hits with their blades. The powder burned Leo's eyes, but finally he was able to blink enough of it away to mostly clear his vision. Even as he readied himself to turn and fight, he felt muscles along his jaw and neck suddenly clench and tighten.

"Ah, good. It is taking effect," Karai sneered at hims with a malicious twist to her mouth, "I was worried that with your mutated systems, the poison might now affect you."

_Poison_. Crap, he needed to retreat and find Donatello before it circulated through the rest of his system. Hopefully his brother would be able to figure out what it was and how to cure it.

Leo darted through his enemies, now seeking to wound or slow them down. He just needed a small opening to make his escape. As he and his swords danced among them, another spasm went down his neck, now affecting his upper body. He felt several more of the soldiers hits find their marks, causing him to stagger to his knees. Two of his enemies went in for the killing blow, thinking him finished and stupidly letting their guard down. This gave him the opening he needed and he surged to his feet, slashing them and shoving them back into their comrades to slow them down.

The blue-banded turtle took off across the rooftops with the enemy on his heels. Luckily, he finally found a gap that they were unable to traverse, losing them in the swirling snow. Not so luckily, another wave of intense cramps hit; that coupled with the injuries and effects from the cold, caused his legs to buckle as he prepared to leap to the next rooftop. It was too late to stop his plummet off the building, but he did manage to briefly catch ahold of the fire escape on his way down, which helped break his fall.

He plummeted the last feet to the alley and desperately tried to stay conscious so he could drag himself towards the dumpster to take shelters in its shadows. The need to stay out of sight helping him stay focused enough to stave off the darkness clouding his vision. His hand lifted to where he kept his radio strapped on, only to find it gone. Somehow it must have gotten cut off in the fight. Shit. With a groan, he let his head fall back against the building.

Terra's POV

"Ugh, I hate the snow!" Terra smacked the top of the steering wheel as she peered up into the swirling snowy sky.

Up ahead was the main source of her frustration, a small pile-up of cars that was blocking traffic. One had gotten stuck at a stoplight, their tires unable to get enough traction, and another car coming up behind them had slid right into them. Of course several other vehicles following a bit too close and going a bit too fast, soon found themselves in a similar situation. In the storm, who knew how long it would be before everyone was cleared out.

She looked around in desperation, hoping she would have enough space to turn around. She was boxed in pretty effectively; but as she looked around, she spotted an alleyway she thought she might be able to cut through. The snow was drifting across the entrance quite badly. This wasn't something she would have ever tried in a car, but she thought her truck just might make it.

Terra backed up as far as she was able, trying to get up as much speed as she could, then put it in 4-wheel and plowed through the drifts. Looking behind her, she couldn't help a snort of laughter. One of the other cars had thought it was a good idea to try and follow her example. They must have thought her truck would push enough of the snow out of the way. What they didn't account for was the fact that their car sat about a foot or so lower than her truck.

For once since she had moved to New York, she was glad she hadn't traded her farm truck in for a car. This storm almost made up for all the expensive fill ups at the gas station and the endless frustration of finding a parking spot her truck would fit into... almost.

Glancing back again, she was tempted to try and go back to help them get it out. The only things that stopped her were the fact that they were already almost out as the passengers had gotten out and were pushing it backwards; that and the fact that there were just too many people. If she stopped to help all of them, it would be a never ending process. The emergency services and tow trucks would be by anyway.

She was nearing the other end of the alleyway when a flash of red at the edge of her headlights caught her eye. Was that blood!? The truck skidded to a halt as she hit the brakes. It was difficult to see in the shadows, but it looked like someone was leaning against the wall by the dumpster. Someone must be hurt!

Terra leapt out of the truck to go help, but as she got nearer, she could see it was a very large someone... or something. Maybe this wasn't the smartest idea. She didn't know who this was, how they got hurt, or if they would lash out at her when she tried to help. Heck, if someone else had done this to them, they might still be lurking about. Her steps faltered as she glanced around, but her hesitation only lasted a moment. If someone was hurt, she couldn't just leave them.

The blood glistened darkly where the light hit it and the dark pool past the light seemed to merge with the shadows, swallowing up the person at its center. Laying a gloved hand gingerly on their shoulder, she could feel them shivering violently and then felt their muscles clench under her hand. They shifted and let out a pained groan.

"Hey, hold still. How bad are you injured?" She fumbled with her phone, intent on turning on her flashlight so she could see their injuries. As the light hit them though, she froze.

Whatever this was, wasn't human. What she had taken for a backpack or something similar in the dark, was in fact a shell. The shoulder her hand was resting on was covered in green scaly skin. By all appearances, this was a turtle?

Her mind immediately jumped back to the incident a few years before of the alien ship that had appeared over New York. It was before she had moved here, but the story had been covered by every news station across the world. People still hadn't stopped speculating about it.

Perhaps this turtle was actually an alien? Her curious gaze soon found the sources of the blood. There were several deep gashes that were seeping blood. The cold actually seemed to have helped slow the bleeding. As her light moved up, his head turned towards her. Or at least she assumed it was a he, maybe alien turtle things didn't even have genders? This slightly hysterical thought was interrupted when she noticed him wincing away from the light. She turned the flashlight downwards to avoid blinding him, but it was still enough to see his face. Part of his face was covered in a slightly ragged blue mask, but striking blue eyes peered up at her. He seemed dazed and in pain, but a sharp intelligence still sparked his gaze. Suddenly his whole body shuddered and his eyes closed as his face contorted in pain. This finally jolted Terra out of her shock and she fumbled with her phone again, "Don't worry, I'll call an ambulance and get you some help."

She had to stifle a yelp as a giant three fingered hand enclosed her wrist. Despite still obviously being in pain, he managed to grit out, "No. No, hospitals."

"But-" she tried to protest, but was cut off.

"No hospitals," he repeated, "Please."

She reluctantly nodded and he released her wrist. Another spasm of pain crossed his face and she could see the corded muscle tighten and jump around his neck. His breathing also seemed to be becoming more labored from the effort of talking and from the muscle contracting so often. "At least tell me what is causing this?" She gestured to the knotted muscle, "Maybe I can help."

For a bit it didn't seem like he would, or could, answer her. Finally she did hear him say, "Poison."

"Do you know what kind?" she asked, but he just shook his head. "Well, first things first, lets bandage these up and get you out of the cold." She ran to her truck to grab the first aid kit, silently thanking her dad for always teaching them to be prepared.

When the bandages ran out before his injuries did, she tore some strips from her coat for the rest. "Come on, I've got the heat on in the truck, but I'm not going to be able to get you there by myself. You're going to have to try and walk." For a moment there was no response and she briefly wondered if she would be able to pull him over to the truck if she used his shell like a sled. It certainly wouldn't be the ideal route since she didn't want to move him any more than necessary and risk jolting him and making his injuries also still didn't help the whole actually getting him in the truck issue.

"Hey, can you hear me?" She knelt down so she could see his face. He finally turned his disoriented gaze towards her and nodded. As she helped pull him up to his feet and tucked herself under his arm to offer what support she could, she wondered whether his confusion was due to the poison or if hypothermia was setting it. Her job had provided several courses and yearly refreshers in first aid, so she knew some basics, but this was definitely beyond her comfort zone.

It seemed to take forever, but finally they got him maneuvered in to the back of the truck so he could lay down. This seemed to take the last of his energy though, because before she could even get the blanket draped over him, his eyes had dropped shut.

Seeing him contrasted against such a normal background really brought the reality of the situation crashing down. "You don't have time to freak out. You can freak out later. Help now, freak out later," she muttered to herself. Terra kept up this mantra as she climbed into the driver's seat. It probably wasn't the smartest idea to bring home a stranger, but what choice did she have?

It was a long drive back in the snow and she found her glancing back in the rearview to reassure herself that he was still breathing, laboured though it was.

Pulling up to the townhouse, she was able to breathe a sigh of relief that the street seemed deserted. Everyone had taken shelter from the storm inside.

The townhouse itself was split into two apartments and thankfully she had her own entrance. The problem arose from the fact that hers was the top apartment and the only way up was the stairs.

Before she tried to rouse him, she did a quick once over of his other injuries. Several had soaked through the bandages and were going to leave some very hard to explain stains on the seat. "If you survive this, you are definitely going to help me clean all these bloodstains out. I can't explain these to a detailing place. I'm going to look like a very incompetent serial killer," she grumbled without any real annoyance behind it.

It took a lot of effort and quite a bit of time, but eventually they made it up the stairs. Though she would have to remember to go clean the blood off the steps, since he had needed to stop often to rest.

Their first detour was to the bathroom to clean his cuts and get him stitched up. If he had been a bit more cognizant, he probably would have been a bit surprised by the sheer amount of medical supplies her bathroom contained. She was a bit... accident prone. Between the fact that she had shot up in height when she hit her growth spurt, which ruined any coordination she had; she also just seemed to attract bad luck. After an incident on one of her backpacking trips, her brother and sister had bought her an actual suture kit. They had done it partially as a joke and partially out of real concern. She also had some zip stitches for smaller wounds to go with the kit, but she didn't have nearly enough for all of his.

As she took out the supplies, she noticed the turtle eyeing the needle in her hands rather warily, though he seemed too exhausted to protest. She tried to reassure him, "Lucky for you, I have some experience stitching up cuts." She decided to leave out the fact that her only actual experience was stitching up a couple animals on the farm. He couldn't be that different, right? That information could be a surprise for later if he asked. No need to give him even less confidence in her abilities right now.

Digging around in the back of the cabinet, she also managed to find some painkillers she had leftover from her car accident a couple years ago. The accident resulted in a back injury and they had sent her home the pills to manage the pain. She had hated being dependent on them though and so had quit taking them as soon as she was able. Now she offered him the pills along with a glass of water, though he didn't acquiesce until he had been able to double check the bottle. Couldn't really blame him, she supposed. Terra trusted he would know what dose he would need and simply went about cleaning and stitching him up as best she could. All of this was made that much more difficult by the continued cramps that caused his whole body to tense up and by the shivers that still wracked his body, lessened though they were.

He was still wrapped in the blanket from her car, but she wouldn't be happy until she was able to get him under an electric blanket. She lamented that this place didn't have a tub of some sort that she could have ran him a hot bath to warm up... though she would need a giant jacuzzi just to fit him in it.

To break the silence and try to distract him from the pain, she started talking while she stitched. "My name is Terra," she offered.

He was silent for a moment before he seemed to decide something. "Leonardo," he answered.

"Leonardo, huh? Hmm, I like it. It's not a name I hear often," she said with a smile. After another moment she spoke again, "I know you said you don't know what poison was used on you, but can you describe it or how it was given to you?" She hated to keep questioning him, especially since he couldn't seem to catch him breath, but she didn't even know how to begin to help otherwise.

With an effort he told her what he remembered. "White powder... in my eyes..." he said between pants.

She nodded. She would have to try and look up what she could after she got him settled.

Soon enough she had his wounds stitched and bandaged back up and they made their way to her bedroom so she could get him in the bed. There was a guest bedroom on the floor above, but more stairs just seemed a bit too daunting at the moment. Leonardo seemed to be reaching his limits, and she was rather surprised he had made it this far.

After turning the blanket on low, a quick trip to the kitchen to get him something warm to drink was in order. After digging through her kitchen, all she could come up with was hot cocoa or tea, so she made both, figuring she would drink whichever he didn't want. Something occurred to her as she was setting the cups on the nightstand though, so she ran back to the bathroom quickly and returned bearing more pills. Leonardo looked at her questioningly.

"Muscle relaxants," she explained. Another set of pills they had sent home with her from the same accident. This time he simply took them from her without checking the bottle. Seemed she had earned a bit more of his trust. When offered the two drinks, he weakly gestured to the tea. Terra ended up needing to help him steady his cup when his muscles chose the inopportune moment to lock up, but he managed to down some of it.

Either the pills kicked in fast, or he was simply that exhausted, but he soon slipped into what seemed like a fitful sleep.

Using the opportunity to see what she could find on the poison, she hopped on her laptop. The best she could do was a search of all his symptoms and the little description he had been able to give. Finally though, she hit on one that seemed to fit. Strychnine.

In humans, even small amounts could be fatal. Muscle spasms from the poison could turn into convulsions and the person could suffocate from their respiratory muscles being paralyzed for too long. She glanced over at him in horror, afraid she would see some tell-tale signs of this starting. More research gave her hope though; larger animals could survive larger doses and usually the life-threatening convulsions appeared within a couple hours. They had already reached that two hour mark and his breathing seemed about the same, possibly even better, though that could be wishful thinking on her part. "Most should be metabolized within 6 hours and should be completely gone within 48 hours," she read. It would be awhile before he was out of the woods.

_Crap_._ What did I get myself into?_ With nothing else she could find or think of to do, she pulled one of her comfy chairs into the bedroom so she could keep an eye on him. She was more than a little frustrated that this was all she could do to help, essentially nothing but waiting it out.

It had been an all around long and stressful day, so when she found herself dozing off, she had enough presence of mind to set herself some alarms on vibrate so she could wake up to check on him without disturbing him. Afterwards, she settled in with a sigh; it was going to be a long night. At least with this storm she wouldn't have to worry about work for a few days.

Notes:

I think Terra's POV is very rough and I have been tempted to delete part of it. I was using some for explanation, some for setting up plot points down the road, and some just so you can get a look into how she thinks. Don't get too attached to this chapter, it will likely get edited based on (hopeful) feedback. (P.S. if anyone wants to be a beta of sorts for conversation, plot, structure, punctuation/grammar, etc., let me know. It would be much appreciated.)Leo's POV


	2. Chapter 2

Notes: Any edits I make to chapter 1 shouldn't affect this chapter, so you are fine to read it if you want. Thank you to everyone who does end up giving this story a chance. Reviews are welcome (especially since I am still looking for a beta). I would like to know what I can improve.

**Donnie's POV**

Donnie knelt down to examine the snow on the rooftop and found more blood. It was slowly but surely being covered by the falling snow, but thankfully was still visible for now. The amount of blood worried Don and he hoped it wasn't Leo's.

The three brothers had quickly realized something was wrong when they couldn't get ahold of their older brother. After placing trackers on Donnie and Raph's trucks, they had tried to contact Leonardo, but got only radio silence.

They called Mikey back from his post, abandoning their pursuit of the Foot until they found Leo. He wasn't at the meeting spot either, so they headed in the general direction he had taken off after the truck. Soon after spreading out, they found the site the fight had taken place. The snow was completely disturbed and even without the blood, it was obvious something had went down here.

"Guys, I found his radio!" a shout from Michelangelo drew Donnie over. It was indeed part of his radio that looked like it had been sliced off. Which meant that even if Leo was ok, they wouldn't be able to contact him.

A whistle from Raph signaled that he had found the trail. They followed the new trail for quite a ways. And based on the trail and the amount of blood, Donatello was now sure that it was Leo's blood they were following.

Most of the tracks were covered by this point and they were relying on the brief splatters they found. Occasionally they lost the trail and had to spread out and find it again. Every time this happened, Donnie became more conscious of every second of time they were losing when Leo could be bleeding out somewhere. That was assuming that he hadn't been captured.

Suddenly they reached an area where the blood trail stopped. Unable to find it across any of the neighboring rooftops, the purple banded turtle was afraid the last of it had finally been covered up. They backtracked to the last spot they had found a sign. As he glanced over the edge of the roof, Donnie happened to spot a flash of red on the fire escape. This lead to a pool of blood on the snow and tire tracks that were quickly fading.

There was no sign of a struggle, so that meant that either he had gone with whoever it was willingly, or he had been unconscious.

Raphael paced anxiously behind him as Donne examined the tire tracks. "Why are we wasting time here!? We need to be tracking the Foot to find out where they took Leo."

"We don't even know if it was the Foot that took him," Donnie said as he flipped on the computer on his wrist. "Let me access the traffic cameras and see who took him and where they went."

Raph huffed, but thankfully stayed put. Raph tearing off after their enemies would only complicate things more and Donnie knew he wouldn't be able to stop him, that had always been Leo's department.

After a moment, Don turned to his brothers, "It wasn't the Foot...or it doesn't appear to be. There was only one truck that came out of this alleyway in the last few hours. I ran the plates and it came back registered to a Terra Longstrom. I have an address for her, but it is quite a ways out. So it would be faster to stop by the Lair to grab the Shellraiser."

Raph looked relieved to finally have a solid course of action and immediately took off. As they rushed back to the Lair, Donnie couldn't help but wonder who this person was that picked up his brother. He was relieved it wasn't the Foot, but was this person trying to help or did they mean him harm?

They approached the Lair, only to find it completely dark. "Crap," the genius muttered. The storm must have cut the power and for whatever reason, the backup generator hadn't kicked on. Well, he would just have to worry about it when they got back with Leo.

After a quick explanation to Splinter and a promise that they would radio him after they found their brother, they took off towards the address Donnie had found.

**Terra's POV**

Terra's phone buzzed in her lap, waking her up. She looked blearily around, her gaze settling on the injured turtle in her bed. "So not a dream then," she murmured to herself. He seemed to be breathing alright, though his sleep appeared fitful and every once in a while she saw his muscles tense. So the spasms hadn't passed completely, but they didn't seem as severe as before.

She reached out and laid a hand on his forehead and then his arm, checking to see if he had warmed up. He seemed to have warmed up nicely. When she had first found him, he felt ice cold.

Her concerns satisfied, she took a moment to actually look at him. Everything had been so crazy up until this point that she hadn't really taken in very many details. Fascinated, her eyes followed the patterns of scales across his skin, also taking in the many scars littered across it. She found herself reaching over to lightly trace the most noticeable one on his face. It curved across his right eye, part of it disappearing under his mask, only to reappear and trail down his cheek. Apparently he was no stranger to getting hurt.

Realizing what she was doing, she drew her hand back, embarrassed. Touching a stranger's face while they were passed out was a little weird, no matter how curious she was.

A sudden thud from the other room startled her from her study. It was soft enough that if she hadn't been awake, she never would have heard it.

Getting up slowly, she grabbed a baseball bat she kept close to her bed and crept towards the doorway. A quick peek revealed an empty room and she wondered if she had imagined it. Terra made a quick tour of it just in case and turned to head back to the bedroom, when she abruptly ran into something very broad and very solid.

Terra sucked in a surprised breath and raised her bat, getting ready to take a swing at whoever had broken in, but paused as her eyes took in who was standing there. Another turtle? This one wasn't as tall, although just as broad. Her eyes traveled upward past his chest and shoulders and met startlingly baby blue eyes that were framed by an orange mask.

"Dudette, please don't scream. We're friendly, I swear." He held up his hands with a pleading look.

With wide eyes, Terra simply gave a little nod, finding that her voice didn't want to work at the moment anyway.

The nod and the fact that she hadn't screamed seemed to reassure him. His face broke out into a large, friendly smile. "Don't worry, Angelcakes. We're just here to get our brother. I'm Michelangelo, the good looking one, but you can call me Mikey." He gave her a wink.

Mike and Leo? They seemed like too normal of names for the situation. Suddenly her brain caught up with something else he had said. "Wait, _we_? How many of you are there?"

The orange banded turtle leaned over the banister and called upstairs to her second floor, "Dudes, Leo is down here!"

"Mikey, keep it down." She heard someone shush him before there was a blur of movement as two figures flipped down over the banister and landed with light thuds.

Terra felt her jaw drop and a small squeak slipped out. There were more, and they were huge. Her brain felt like it was short circuiting. It was one thing to find one giant turtle in an alleyway, but to have three more standing in her living room talking to each other was quite another.

"Nah, Dudes. It's all good. Dudette and I already met. And she hasn't even fainted yet." He seemed very proud of the last part as he gestured to her. Three sets of eyes turned towards her.

Not knowing what else to do, she gave a weak little wave. "Um, hi. I'm Terra."

"These are my bros. The scary looking one is Raph. " He gestured to the turtle in the red bandanna, and then pointed to the other. "And this is Donnie, our resident genius."

"You really don't get the concept of ninjas move in the shadows, do you?" The one he had introduced as Raph smacked Michelangelo over the back of his head with a scowl. He was the biggest of the four by far, like size of a small car big. That coupled with the scowl, definitely made him the most intimidating.

The sound of someone clearing their throat drew her eyes to the other turtle, Donnie. He was a tall lanky individual with a purple mask. "Sorry to interrupt, but what about Leo?

Trying to put her amazement of the situation away , she remembered why they were there. "Oh, sorry. He is in here," she said as she stepped aside and pointed towards the bedroom.

With a gentle, yet efficient questioning, Donnie quickly quizzed her on what had happened, his symptoms, and what she had done so far. As she filled him in and let him in on her suspicion of what the poison was, he did his own examination and took blood samples. Throughout it all, Leo hardly stirred.

The tech savvy turtle seemed to be covered in various gadgets and Terra watched in awe as he pulled a couple of these out and ran the blood samples through a computer on his wrist. The readout from the computer projected itself in the air above it.

The other two brothers had crowded in behind her and made the already small room feel downright claustrophobic. Raph glanced down at the bat she still held in her hand with a raised eye ridge, though he didn't say anything. She set it down, feeling rather foolish. They didn't seem like they planned on hurting her; and with a glance at the red banded turtle's hulking frame, she didn't think it would have done much against them anyway.

Finally, Donnie shut down the contraption on his wrist and stood up. "I will have to take a look at it in the lab to be sure, but it does appear to be a modified form of Strychnine. He seems to have made it through the worst of it. If it weren't for the mutagen in his blood, he might not have made it."

Raph shifted in the doorway, still looking concerned, "So he is going to be ok then?"

Donnie shrugged. "It is hard to tell until he wakes up. I could run more tests if we were home, but here..." he trailed off after gesturing around him. .

The large turtle started forward into the room towards Leo, "Alright. Well then, let's get 'im back home already."

A hand on his arm stopped him. "Raph, wait. Can I have a word with you?" Don pointed to the kitchen while shooting Mikey a look.

The bigger turtle hesitated before following his brother out into the other room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Raphs POV**

A glance back showed Raphael that Mikey had taken Donnie's hint and was keeping Terra distracted so they could talk. He had taken the opportunity to sling an arm over her shoulders and was bantering with her, trying to keep her comfortable with them at the same time. To her credit, this girl was handling this all pretty well. She looked freaked out, but she hadn't screamed, fainted, or run away yet. He had to chuckle, they'd see how long she could handle Mikey and his flirting.

As they reached the kitchen, Raph turned to Donnie expectantly. "I'm still not sure it is a good idea to move Leo right now and I'd like to do it as little as possible. I don't know exactly how much other damage has been done. And besides that, with the power out the lair is going to be freezing, which his body doesn't need that right now. I also have no idea what is wrong with the generator or how long it will take to fix it. I can't exactly run to the junkyard right now for parts," Donnie said, clearly stressed.

"So what are we going to do then? Dad will be waitin' for us, and he doesn't handle the cold well either. And now that April has that new roommate, we can't crash over there."

They both turned at the sound of someone clearing their throat "Umm, you could stay here until he is stable and you can get your generator fixed," a nervous looking Terra offered with a rub on her arm, "And of course your dad is welcome too."

The red banded turtle could hear the pause as she said it. Probably wondering what exactly the father of four mutant turtles would look like or if this was a good idea. Raph shot a glare behind her at Michelangelo and got an innocent shrug in back, as if saying he had no idea how she had managed to slip past him.

His gaze switched back to his nerdy brother and they traded a look. Neither of them had any better ideas. Donnie's eyes looked positively owl like behind his glasses, his surprise at the offer showing plainly, "Well, uh, thank yo-"

He was cut off by a very suspicious Raphael, " Hold on. Why are you offering to help us?" He knew very well that humans viewed them as freaks. Even April had fainted the first time she had seen them. And after that, she had viewed them as some breaking story to help her career. She had helped them after she found out who they were and now she was a part of the family, but in the back of his mind, Raph couldn't help but remember that. The cops had pulled guns on them and called them monsters their first time seeing them.

Ever lacking the tact of Donnie or Leo, Raph asked bluntly, almost growling, "Why did you even stop in the middle of a dark alley and help our brother? You're telling me you are ok with inviting a bunch of mutant freaks into your home, minutes after meeting us. What, were you planning on selling him to the news or the government first chance you got?"

"Bro, take it easy on her," Mikey stepped up partially in front of Terra and looked over at Donnie for support. Donnie gave a little shrug, but looked like he was waiting for an answer as well, even if he didn't agree with Raph's method.

Instead of cowering though, Terra stepped past Mikey and back out into the open. Suspicious or not, Raph couldn't help but admire her backbone, "I couldn't just leave someone out in the cold to die when they were hurt. As for the rest of you, I figure if you wanted to hurt me, you could have done so already. I'm just doing what I'd try to do to help anyone in this situation."

The brothers all looked at one another, having gotten quite good over the years at silently communicating. Raph was still suspicious, Donatello was unsure, and Mikey-per usual- was entirely too trusting by far. Even though he didn't quite trust her, what could she really do to them? Being ninjas, they were good at observation. If she tried anything sneaky, like exposing them to the public or if she was working with the foot, they could easily stop her or get away. Finally, all of them exchanged a nod.

The decision made, a plan was quickly put together. Don and Raph would go back to the lair, get Splinter, and take a look at how bad off the generator was. While they did that, Mikey would keep an eye on Leo and make sure Terra didn't do anything suspicious.

**Mikey's POV**

Michelangelo was torn between concern for his oldest brother and excitement over having found a new friend. Though Donnie seemed to think he would be ok. Inside he was practically buzzing with excitement, but he made himself be quiet. Partially because Don had had a very stern talk about Leo needing quiet to rest, and he didn't want to overwhelm Terra. He had so many questions he wanted to ask and so many things he wanted to tell her. He could also see how exhausted she was though. She was trying her hardest to stay awake, but he could see her head droop every so often.

"Maybe you had better go to sleep. I can handle keeping watch by myself," he whispered at her.

Blinking tiredly, she whispered back, "What if something happens? And I don't want to miss the others coming back either."

"How about this, I pinky promise I'll wake you up if anything happens or if my bros come back. Cross my shell and hope to die." Mikey made a motion across his plastron. Terra looked like she wanted to protest, but was cut off by a yawn. She finally nodded in defeat.

Getting up, she drug herself out towards the couch. "Ok, just let me know if you need anything," she said with another yawn. Soon after her head hit the cushion, Mikey heard her breath deepen and even out. _Eeesh. Dudette really was exhausted._

It didn't take long before boredom started creeping up on the youngest turtle. After making sure Leo was still doing ok, he decided to explore a little. A little wouldn't hurt he reasoned, so long as he stayed within sight and earshot of his brother.

Of course, the first place he explored was the kitchen; stalking the cupboards and fridge to see what she had for snacks. There was no way a couple of cookies could be noticed missing, right? Next he snuck past Terra- pilfered cookies stuffed in his mouth- on the way to the only closed door on this floor.

Inside he found an office with a laptop and a buttload of books. The walls were practically lined with books, since every available space contained a bookshelf. He was quickly losing interest-books were not his thing unless they were comic books- until he noticed some canvases leaning in a corner.

_Woah, these were really good. _Wanting to know if she had painted these, he snooped a bit further. Among the drawers and cupboards, he found all kinds of stuff: paints, sketchbooks, pencils, markers, and various other supplies.

Mikey loved art, though he usually stuck to either spray paints or drawings. He had done most of his brothers' tattoos. Art supplies were sometimes hard to get. He didn't find a lot of usable stuff in the junkyard, and usually any cash they had went towards food or other things Donnie-boy needed to keep the lair up and running, things he wasn't able to scavenge and fix.

Realizing he had gotten caught up in his exploring for quite awhile, he sidled back into the living room and gently closed the door behind him. As he turned to go back to check on Leo, an open cabinet door on the entertainment stand caught his eye.

_Wonder what Dudette has for movies?_ Since he couldn't turn on the t.v., he figured he could borrow a movie and the laptop to combat his boredom. Opening the door a bit further, a look of childlike wonder filled his face. He had to stop himself from practically squealing as he opened up the other drawers and cupboards. There were no movies, but there was a video game collection that rivaled his own. She had all the newest consoles and a vr headset.

In his excitement, he didn't see the controller wobbling on one of the shelves until it fell with a loud thump, dragging a few others from the shelf with it. In response to the clatter, he heard a drowsy murmur from behind him.

Tensing and looking guiltily over his shoulder, he saw a half asleep and very confused looking Terra sitting up on the couch. Expecting her to get angry at him for snooping and waking her up, he ducked his head, "My bad. "

He was pretty accustomed to anger or annoyance considering how often he annoyed his brothers. Don't get him wrong, most of the time he was doing it on purpose out of boredom or to help with some tension in the Lair, but sometimes he found himself on the wrong end of their tempers without even trying. Being cooped up underground while they were growing up, it wasn't any surprise they sometimes rubbed each other the wrong way.

Next to his brothers though, he often found himself feeling like a screw up. He wasn't super smart like Donnie, not as strong as Raph or as good with mechanic stuff, or as driven as Leo. Things just had a habit of going wrong around him sometimes.

"Sorry," he murmured in a mournful tone. He had been hoping to make a good impression with the newest human in their life.

Instead of the annoyance he expected though, he got a smile instead. "It's all good. Do you game?" she said with a yawn.

Always one to quickly shake off any gloominess or worry, Mikey beamed back. "Shell yeah," he said, his enthusiasm obvious.

Terra hopped off the couch and motioned him over to a different cupboard. His mouth dropped at the contents. She had a _ton_ of the classics as well.

"If you ever want to play, you're welcome to. _Or_ if you ever want your butt kicked, I've still been known to play some mean 'Smash Brothers' and 'Mario Cart'.

Forgetting his plan of not freaking her out, he wrapped her in a hug, lifting her off the ground. "Marry me?"

Thankfully, far from freaking her out, she let out a giggle. "Well if that is all it takes to get a marriage proposal."

Mikey set her down and bent to look through the games, intent on taking her up on her offer. A sudden noise from his radio cut him short. "Yo, Mikey. We're on our way back," came Raph's voice. Casting a wistful glance at the games, Mikey remembered he was supposed to be keeping an eye on his brother.

**Terra's POV**

Terra looked through her fridge with some trepidation. Was she going to have enough to feed them all? She had stocked up before the storm, buying extra groceries before the shelves got cleaned off. And she had extra meat in the freezer and other canned goods her parents had brought her during their last visit. There were advantages to having parents who lived on a farm. When she had first seen their vehicle packed to the brim with food, she had jokingly asked if they were stocking a bomb shelter in preparation for some disaster, or maybe planning on feeding a small army. Well, with how big the turtle brothers were, it probably would be like feeding an army.

Raphael had already arrived back. Apparently one of his bikes was modified to be all terrain and was able to handle all but the deepest snow.

He sauntered into the kitchen now, leaning heavily against the counter. Beneath his stare, Terra felt slightly nervous. She had always been a fairly shy individual, though she had worked hard to overcome as much of it as possible. Trying to tell herself she wouldn't be intimidated in her own kitchen, she bustled around gathering ingredients. "Any requests for breakfast? What do you guys like?"

Watching her for a while longer, Raphael finally growled out, "Look at ya. Why don't you just admit we make you uncomfortable? It's written all over your face."

She snorted a laugh, noting the surprised look in his eyes. "It isn't you guys. Or at least, not you guys in particular." She shrugged and tried to nonchalantly shoo him off the drawer she needed to get into. "What can I say? I'm an awkward individual in general. I'm always uncomfortable in most social situations with people I don't know."

After looking at her for a long moment, Raph rolled his eyes and relented, "French toast… and of course bacon. Those at least we all agree on. If you are going to make eggs, good luck with that. None of us like them cooked the same way."

Deciding to accept the challenge, Terra added a few more pans to her pile. "I'm going to need a list," she said, "Oh, and there is stuff to drink in the fridge. Milk, orange juice- oh and there is some Crush stashed in the drawer in the bottom of the fridge."

Mikey poked his head into the kitchen in interest upon hearing the name of his favorite drink. He had forgotten to check the crisper in his earlier snooping.

**Later...**

Donatello and their father arrived and the brothers went down to unload some things. She was finishing up cooking and thinking about her past conversations with Raphael. She couldn't blame him for being suspicious. She really hadn't stopped to think it through when she stopped to help Leonardo though. Going over it in her head now, it had been his eyes that decided it for her. No matter how strange he might have looked to her, his eyes had drawn her in in a way she couldn't explain.

Someone clearing their throat tore her from her thoughts. Turning towards the doorway where it had come from, she blinked in shock. Standing at the entrance to her kitchen was a giant rat that was wearing a robe of some sort and had a top knot. Of course Mikey had warned her that their dad was a giant rat, and she thought she had been prepared. Seeing him in person though was different. Thankfully, she wasn't afraid of rats- in fact, she thought they were rather cute- but rodents of unusual size were still beyond her experience. In the end, it was the manners her parents had drilled not her that saved her. With a start, she realized how rude she was being by just standing there and staring at him. "I'm sorry. I'm Terra Longstrom." She crossed the distance and held out her hand.

He looked slightly bemused by her sudden change in demeanor, but smiled kindly as he took her hand in his paw. "I am the boys' father, Master Splinter. Though you may call me just Splinter if you wish."

As Terra shook his paw, she smiled back shyly, "I'll just stick with Master Splinter if you don't mind. It feels rude not to. Would you like to sit down? Do you want anything to drink? Breakfast is nearly ready."

The old rat held up a paw to stem anymore questions, "First, I would like to check on my son."

"Oh! Of course!" she scrambled to show him which room Leonardo was in.

**Donnie's POV**

Donnie had come in not too far behind his father, but stayed back to observe their interaction. He had been half expecting her to scream or faint. True, she hadn't done any screaming when she met them, but you never knew with humans. Many seemed terrified of normal rats, much less a giant talking version. He gave a sniff. She had apparently cooked them breakfast as well. Donatello shook his head and shifted his burden. So far, this was one of the most confusing experiences with a human; she wasn't reacting at all how he expected.

Back at the Lair, he had already had a long talk with Sensei about how trustworthy they thought this girl was. Donatello had assured him he had done a thorough background check. Besides, he planned to set up several security measures in and around the duplex. If she did anything suspicious, he would know.

**Terra's POV**

The guys had brought several different supplies with them, including some food, for which Terra was secretly grateful for. After she saw how much they could put away at breakfast, she wasn't sure she would have enough depending on how long they stayed.

They insisted she take the spare bedroom, though she had tried protesting, thinking that Master Splinter especially could use a decent bed. He assured her that he often slept in his chair and preferred it in most cases, so he took the comfy chair she had relocated to her bedroom to watch over Leo. The rest of his sons claimed spots on her other chair and couches.

Over the next couple of days, she found that she rarely saw Donatello or Raphael. At first, Donatello had been holed up, working on an antidote, but even after he was able to synthesize something, he stayed busy. Both he and Raphael made several trips to locate parts for their generator or back home for various reasons.

The third morning found her setting down a plate of eggs and toast in front of Mikey. "Cheesy scrambled eggs with…ketchup," her face indicating what she thought of the combination. "Heathen," she joked.

"Psshh, that's the only way to eat them," he shot back with a grin. For some reason, Terra had felt almost instantly at ease around Michelangelo. It was difficult to be nervous around him with his easy smile and jokes.

Donatello shuffled into the kitchen, looking very zombie-like after being up all night. "Coffee?" he croaked out the question.

"I don't have a coffee maker," she shrugged apologetically, "I hate the stuff."

Donatello looked at her aghast. He seemed horrified that anyone could live without what he considered his lifeblood. That evening, when they returned from one of their trips, Terra discovered the appliances on her countertops now included a coffee maker.


	4. Chapter 4

**Leo's POV**

He had been drifting in and out of the darkness, hearing voices on the edge of his consciousness, but unable to fully pull himself out of it. Finally though, the fog seemed to clear. He peeled his eyes open to find that wherever he was, was mostly dark. Where was this? His memory was all scrambled at the moment. His brain was still a little tired and foggy, but his other senses seemed to be fine. He turned towards where he heard deep steady breathing coming from. There was just enough light to make out a little.

Leonardo froze when he saw a human woman sitting there. She was draped over the arms, a book laying on her chest. What the-? He calmed his mind, trying to unscramble his memories. It was fuzzy, but he remembered bits and pieces of the night: fighting Karai, the powder, and then flashes of the woman. Obviously, she had helped him, so he didn't feel he was in any danger, but this was certainly disconcerting.

A small snore distracted his efforts. Looking over at her, he found himself wanting to laugh as another came from her. It was almost cute, nothing in comparison to his brothers, who seemed to do their best to imitate chainsaws.

_Crap!_ His brothers and Sensei would be worried sick. Leo tried to sit up, the sudden movement had him fighting a bout of nausea. The motion woke the person in the chair and they sat up with a start, the book falling to the floor with a thump.

"Wha-?" she looked at him, blinking in confusion and trying to throw off her own disorientation from the unexpected wake up call.

Leo closed his eyes and took several deep breaths to try and calm his stomach. There was a rustle of movement as the lamp was turned on and something was set in his lap. She had apparently correctly interpreted his actions, because a quick peek down showed she had placed a small empty trashcan there. He grabbed ahold of it gratefully, unsure of whether he would win the battle with his stomach and spinning head.

"Donatello mentioned you would probably be a bit nauseous when you woke up."

His surprise helped distract him somewhat from his queasiness. _How did she know Donnie. Was he here?_ "Where-" he tried to ask, but his voice came out as a croak. He hadn't noticed how dry his throat was or how thirsty he was. A glass of water was handed to him as well.

"Hold on. I'll go wake up Donatello. I'm sure he will want to check on you."

Leo found himself nodding mutely, too tired and hazy to fully process everything.

Soon enough, his tech-savvy brother's head poked through the doorway. "Good, you're awake. You had us worried," he said in full doctor mode, "Lean back so I can check your vitals. It isn't good for you to move around too much yet."

Leo wanted to question Don about what had happened, but knew he wouldn't get much from him until he had had a chance to examine him.

After some quick tests, his brother started filling him in. He told him about how they had tracked him here, Terra's story, and the current situation. It had been a little over four days since the storm. Not only had they received record snowfall, but the ice storm had shut down chunks of the city. Many trees were downed from the weight of the ice and parts of the city that still had powerlines above ground had lost power due to the lines breaking. These obstacles, the snow, and the large amounts of accidents had closed down many streets. The power had finally come back on at the Lair, but they hadn't wanted to move him quite yet if they didn't have to.

Leo tried to remain alert throughout the explanation, but the exhaustion was tugging at him again. It was all he could do to remain awake at this point, though what he wanted to do was get up and get a start figuring out what the Foot were up to. They already had several days' jump on them. Who knew where the shipments were at this point.

"Leo, you should get some more rest. You look like you are ready to pass back out." He cut Leo off when he tried to protest, "Don't push yourself too hard or you will set your recovery back. However they modified that poison, really left some long term effects."

The blue-banded turtle knew Don was probably right and gave in, laying back down and letting the darkness claim him again.

**Terra's POV**

Leo had finally woke up for at least a little bit and had been drifting in and out of sleep since then, never awakening for long. Don seemed to think he was out of the woods though. He was still passed out in her room at the moment, but now Donatello seemed comfortable not having a constant vigil over him. Splinter had borne the brunt of it, but they had all taken their turns.

It was a couple of days after Leo's first return to consciousness and Terra and Splinter sat in the kitchen talking over tea. She found the old rat reminded her of her dad in a lot of ways. He had a way of asking questions that really made her think. Even just after a few days she had noticed in his interactions with his sons that often instead of telling them something, he would ask questions instead to get them to work it out themselves. He was very patient, though seemed to have a threshold that Mikey in particular liked to test.

Over the past few days he had drawn her into several conversations. They talked of her job as a wildlife biologist; he asked about her family as well and how she was dealing with being so far away from them.

In turn, she asked about how he and the turtles came to be. It wasn't something she was sure they would share and would have understood if they hadn't. They led a necessary life of secrecy and she hesitated to pry into it too much, but her curiosity got the better of her in this case. Surprisingly, Splinter had obliged. She had gotten to hear not only of their origin, but a few of their other adventures as well.

When asked if they had been involved in the alien ship incident, Mikey had enthusiastically jumped in to tell the story; using grand gestures, voices, and even reenacting parts of it. Donnie interjected at times to explain some of the 'science mumbo jumbo', as Mikey called it.

All in all, Terra found she was really enjoying having them stay with her. For all their unbelievable parts, they were surprisingly normal. The brothers joked and bickered, and Splinter looked on in a silent sufferance that only a parent could pull off; though she could see he loved them.

Mikey was goofy and loud. Donatello was still fairly shy around her, though his genius and enthusiasm had shone through when talking about various experiments and tech he was working on. Raphael was the tough nut to crack. He maintained his gruff and grumpy exterior that would have probably scared her if she hadn't glimpsed a softer side to him in his concern for his brother.

Currently Donatello was using her office as an impromptu lab to work on his gadgets. The night before she had been curious and had went to see what he was working on. She stood in silence, watching him work for a while, not wanting to interrupt. It took quite a while before he noticed her, caught up in his work as he was. When he did, he made a startled noise and looked down shyly, "Sorry. I didn't see you standing there."

She waved away his concerns, "It's ok. I get the same way when I'm reading. Whatcha working on?"

Donnie seemed to brighten at her question, actually looking up to make eye contact, "Oh, well-"

He was cut off by twin groans from Raph and Mikey. "Don't get 'im started," Raph groused.

"Trust me, Dudette, save yourself the pain," Mikey chimed in. Donatello seemed used to this and gave them a disdainful sniff.

"I'd still like to hear about it. I might not be on your level when it comes to the tech stuff, so I might not fully understand it, but it looks interesting," she said.

Donnie was quick to offer reassurance that she seemed very intelligent, before launching into an explanation. Despite his reassurances, she did find she had to stop him a few times to explain things in terms she could understand. Terra found out what his brothers already knew and had tried to warn her of; Donnie could go on for hours about this kind of stuff. Despite that, she couldn't bring herself to regret asking. This due partially because it _was_ kind of interesting, but mostly he just seemed so happy to have someone to listen to his tech babble.

He was still tinkering in her office tonight. While he did that, and Splinter and Terra talked, Mikey and Raph were engaged in a battle. Mikey had goaded Raph into versing him in some games and currently they both sat on the edge of their seats, intent on beating each other.

Terra wandered in to watch, suppressing a giggle at the sight of Raph with the tip of his tongue poking out in concentration. A habit that both he and Donnie seemed to share.

Finally, Mikey let out a whoop, pumping his fists into the air. Raph threw up his hands in disgust over losing and slumped back into the chair.

"I'll verse you in a game," Terra offered, looking at Raph. She already knew how she stood in comparison to Mikey's skills. Depending on the game, they were pretty even so far. So trying to take on the larger turtle might be fun.

"I'm good," Raph stated without looking at her.

"Awww. Is Raphie scared?" Mikey taunted.

"Shell no!" Raph growled.

Mikey winked at Terra and leaned over to whisper to her conspiratorially, "It's ok. He is just intimidated. He's always been the worst at video games."

Terra played along, nodding understandingly, "It's ok. I understand."

Raph cut in with an indignant, "Hey!" He tossed Mikey's controller to her, "Fine, you want to try? Just don't come crying when I stomp you."

Terra accepted the challenge with a grin. He was in for a surprise. He hadn't seen her play yet.

One game turned into a few games, and as the night went on, Raph seemed to thaw towards her a little. He tossed a few barbs her way, though not as harsh as the ones he and his brother had traded earlier, and seemed surprised when she shot a few right back. His trash talk actually seemed fairly good natured and if she wasn't mistaken, that was a grin tugging at his lips.

**Leo's POV**

The oldest turtle awoke to the sound of laughter and Mikey cheering. This time his memories came back faster and he used the opportunity to gather his thoughts. He had an idea of the timeline and how long they had been here based on what his brothers had told him on the occasions he woke up for a bit. He couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency, even though he knew he wasn't 100%. They needed to do something; nothing was going to get done with him stuck in bed here.

He sat up gingerly, remembering his last experience with trying to get up. To his relief, he felt nothing but a little light-headedness. Leo got up carefully and made his way to the door. Without making a sound, Leo eased the door open, feeling confusion at the scene that met his eyes. Raph and Mikey were sitting with a stranger playing video games. She wasn't technically a stranger. He did remember her from the night he was poisoned and when he had woken up briefly to hear Don's first explanation. But those few interactions, especially in his dazed state, hadn't really allowed him to get a read on her.

Leo didn't know which he found stranger; the fact that Raph actually seemed relatively relaxed and having fun, or the fact that this Terra seemed quite comfortable sitting between his two huge brothers… or at least huge compared to her.

"Hey! Leo's up!" Leo had to brace himself as Mikey launched over the couch and practically tackled him into a hug.

Raph got up to come clap him on the shoulder and pull their overly rambunctious brother off. "How ya feeling?" the red-banded terrapin eyed him up and down while casually giving Mikey a smack over the head, "Be a little careful, Shell-for-brains." He glared at the younger turtle reprovingly.

Hearing the commotion, Donnie and Splinter emerged as well to come check on him. As he greeted them and answered their concerned questions over how he was feeling, he noticed Terra was still hanging back. She sat on the couch, looking almost shy.

**Terra's POV**

Terra sat back, feeling awkward and letting them have their family moment. She was essentially a stranger and she felt out of place. He likely wouldn't even remember her considering how out of it he had been when he was hurt.

Donnie was filling him in on his progress in tracking the Foot and Leonardo questioned them. It was very different, seeing him up and about. She wasn't afraid of him or anything, but even though he was still a little unsteady, he was definitely still intimidating. More so that any of his brothers, he carried himself with a quiet confidence and self-assurance. He had only been up a for a few minutes, and he had already taken charge of the situation.

Terra couldn't hear what was being said, but there was quite the discussion going on. Mikey seemed to be arguing with his older brother over something. It took several minutes, but apparently something was settled because suddenly the brothers split in different directions, each walking with a purposeful stride. Well, all except Mikey, who was still pouting.

Leonardo approached her and bowed gravely. "Thank you. I likely owe you my life," he said.

Embarrassed by the formality of someone bowing to her, Terra blushed and held her hands up in front of her, "You're welcome, but I really didn't do much. Donatello came up with the antidote."

Leo shook his head, "You got me out of the cold and you gave my family and I a place to stay. You've done plenty, and we are grateful."

Terra didn't know what to say and shrugged. In a way she wanted to look down, but managed to hold his gaze anyway. _Damn, those intense eyes of his really did captivate her._ Realizing she was staring, she made an effort to look around to where the others were heading. Donatello was gathering his gadgets and the other two were transporting them out, she assumed to their vehicle. "Are you guys leaving?" she asked.

Splinter had appeared beside Leo at some point. "With the power on and Leonardo finally stable, we will be returning to our home and no longer imposing on your hospitality," the old rat said while smiling warmly.

"Oh," Terra said, feeling a bit disappointed at the idea. She should be happy to finally have her space back as things had gotten rather crowded with the five mutants there, but instead found herself thinking she would miss their antics.

"Master Splinter," a call from one of the others caught the old rat's attention and he patted her arm before moving off.

"Will I ever see you guys again?" Terra asked.

Leo hesitated a moment before answering, "It's better we have contact with as few humans as possible. It is for your own safety, as well as ours."

She nodded silently, understanding, but still disappointed. He went to help his brothers, leaving Terra standing on her own.

Taking advantage of his brothers' distraction, Mikey sidled over, "Psst, can I still stop by sometimes to play some video games?"

Terra motioned towards where Leo had disappeared, "Your brother doesn't seem to think it is a good idea."

Mikey waved away her concerns, "Pssshhh. He told us, but it'll be fiiiine." He grinned boyishly, " I am a ninja after all, I'm good at being sneaky."

She hesitated, "Well, I don't want to put you guys in danger."

"We know how to deal with danger. Besides, like I said, I'm a professional," he said as he flexed his muscles.

With a giggle, she gave in, "You are always welcome here, Mikey."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes:**

This is the last chapter before Terra and Leo start developing their relationship a bit more. I still think it has some good bits and Leo is in it too, so I hope you enjoy. We are getting to the saucy/slightly angsty stuff, I promise. I just wanted to establish her and her role within the family first. I will say there is a drunk scene coming up in a few chapters that I quite enjoy.

**Mikey's POV**

True to his word, Mikey was very sneaky about his visits to her. Considering how often he disappeared to avoid Leo's extra training sessions, his brothers just assumed he was goofing off somewhere. He always took his board anyway so he could claim he was out perfecting some new tricks.

He tried not to stop by too often, so he would be less likely to get caught; but he still made several trips to play games and watch tv, or sometimes he'd bring some of his art along to show off. He had tried to show her how to skateboard once… it hadn't gone well. Terra had some decent core strength, but her balance was pretty non-existent.

After the incident with the Foot when Leo's radio got cut, leaving him no way to contact them, Don came up with an alternative. He called them Shell Cells. They were cell phones built to accommodate the brothers' large hands, they were durable, and most important, they had high level security to prevent hacks.

Immediately after receiving his, Mikey stopped by Terra's to give her his number. He was careful to leave the phone at home so Don wouldn't see him there with the tracker in them. This would make things so much easier. The youngest turtle figured it couldn't hurt anything. After all, April and Casey already had their new numbers. And now he had someone to share all the funny memes and videos he found with. For some reason, his brothers had no appreciation for his humor.

This turned out to be his downfall though. He got careless in the fact that he forgot not only how extensive his brother's security measures were, but how painstaking he was about maintaining and monitoring that security.

Mikey found this out one evening on his way out of the Lair. He was reaching the point he normally left the sewers, to find a waiting Donatello, who had a clear look of disapproval on his face. "You're still in contact with her."

It wasn't a question, but Mikey tried to play it off, "Whatcha talking about? I am going for a run."

"Don't play dumb, Mikey. I have been monitoring her phone these past couple weeks and noticed some strange new texts showing up."

Knowing there was no more use in trying to deny it, Mikey tried to persuade him instead, "I've been careful. And if you have been keeping an eye on her, you know she hasn't told anyone about us."

Donatello shook his head, not one to be so easily convinced, "Leo is going to kill you if he finds out. He ordered us not to contact her anymore."

Michelangelo made a whining noise in his throat and gave his brother his best puppy dog eyes, "C'mon, Don. Leo doesn't have to know. Oh, I know! If you are worried, you can come along."

**Donnie's POV**

Donatello tried to protest, but Michelangelo was already most of the way up the ladder. The purple-banded turtle made an exasperated noise, but followed his baby brother, knowing there was little he could do to stop him. Well, short of tying him up and dragging him back to the Lair. Though with as fast as Mikey was, that would be a pain. He resolved to talk to him later, this could only end badly.

When they finally made it to Terra's place, Mikey climbed into the living room from the fire escape. Donnie heard a, "Mikey!". He watched in surprise as Terra gave his younger brother an affectionate hug. She turned to him, "Donatello, long time no see. Does this mean you guys are officially allowed to visit?"

Don froze in surprise as she turned to give him a hug as she had with Mikey. It was unexpected and he felt his resolve waver. He wasn't very used to hugs. Master Splinter had been a wonderful father, but he hadn't been big on the physical affection, especially once they got older. With the exception of Mikey, who always seemed touch starved, the brothers rarely did more than a hand on the shell, an arm slung over the shoulders, or some good-natured roughhousing. Occasionally, April had greeted them with hugs after she had been around them for a while, but even that wasn't often.

Even though he had seen their interactions with Terra during their time here, he was shocked she was comfortable enough for such casual affection.

"Uhhh, not quite," Mikey said with a sheepish look, "I may have gotten caught by ole Donnie-boy. _But_ he isn't going to tell on us. Right?"

Donnie rolled his eyes, "I won't rat you out, but Leo is going to find out sooner or later."

"That's fine. By that time, we can convince him that it isn't too dangerous for us to be hanging out up here."

Donatello soon found out that Terra and Mikey had been in the middle of binge watching a series they planned on finishing tonight. They ushered Don to the best seat, planting several snacks in front of him. "Why do I feel like I'm being bribed?" he narrowed his eyes mistrustfully.

Mikey just elbowed him good-naturedly, "Oh, you know you are my favorite turtle."

They were a couple episodes in, when Donnie noticed what the paper poking out from under the popcorn bowl was. "Is that a D&D character sheet?" he asked, his interest perked.

"Yeah, do you play?" she asked nonchalantly.

It was something he wanted to play, and had briefly in the past. Between his crazy schedule and the fact that even online, some groups required a face cam, he had rarely been able to do so. Besides which, it was a risk. Leo had warned them to be cautious of both that and playing too often with the same people online for console games. Eventually, after playing together awhile, people often wanted to exchange numbers (which until recently they hadn't had) or to find each other on social media. And people either found it weird he had none of those, or were hurt because they thought he simply didn't want to do so.

Terra continued, "I have a few friends I play online with regularly and we would love a couple more players. We all live so far apart that it is difficult to find a time that works for everyone, but you guys would be welcome to join."

Mikey made a face, not really having the patience to sit and play that type of game, but Don was very tempted. "Umm, I had better not," he said regretfully. Mikey nudged him, "You used to play. You're into all that nerdy stuff."

Donnie blushed, but Terra was excited to have found someone else here that was interested in this stuff, "What class did you play as?"

Soon enough they were trading stories and funny moments from various campaigns. By the time they were getting ready to leave, Terra had extracted a "Maybe" from Donne in regards to playing, assuring him that no cams were required and she could help cover for him. He also found that his resolve to prevent Mikey from coming back had disappeared. In fact, he had come up with several self-rationalizations on how it wouldn't hurt for him to come along a few times as well. After all, someone had to keep an eye on Mikey.

**Raph's POV**

Raph was the next to catch on. He found it very suspicious that his knucklehead of a baby brother, wasn't pestering him nearly as much. And then both he and Don started conveniently disappearing around the same time. One of the times, Don had claimed he was taking Mikey with him to the dump to look for some stuff. Don _hated_ taking Mikey, since he got distracted so easily and would whine about carrying things back.

If it had just been Mikey disappearing, it might have taken him longer to figure it out, but one night he went to go ask Don for help with modifications on his bike; only to find the Brainiac wasn't in his lab, in front of his computers, or any of the other places he expected him to be. So, he started paying closer attention and followed them one night. When he found out where they were going, he was more impressed Donnie had actually agreed to it. Normally the Brainiac was a bit of a goody-two-shoes when it came to following Leo's orders.

He kept an eye on them a couple of times, but decided he didn't see any harm in it, despite their Fearless leader's orders. Despite his early misgivings, Terra seemed like a decent chick. But he also knew that if he had noticed, then so would ole Fearless sooner or later. Most likely sooner. Leo wasn't dumb, he would notice something was up.

Turns out he didn't have to wait long for the explosion. One night, not even a couple weeks later, Raph was lifting weights, when he heard Leo shouting from the main room. He came out to find Leo chewing out their two younger brothers. "What do you think you're doing? You both are putting this family in danger!" his shouting overrode the two's protest, "There was a reason I ordered you not to."

Donnie mostly just looked down shamefacedly, but Mikey tried to convince his brother again, only to be cut off by Leonardo snarling, "Enough! I'm the leader, I decide what is best for this family, not you two!"

Mikey's mouth had been open, ready to argue more, but at the last statement, he closed it with a snap. The look on his face was a mixture of hurt and anger as he stormed off, upset. Don muttered a, "Sorry, Leo." Still with a downcast face, he followed after Mikey.

"You don't seem surprised by this," Leo eyed Raph suspiciously.

Raph held up his hands in from of him to ward off Leo. "Yeah, I figured it out. _I_ wasn't going to crash their party though. Let the knuckle-heads have a friend," he shrugged, "She ain't done nothin' yet."

Splinter, having heard the commotion, stood nearby with a solemn look behind his whiskers. Leo turned to him, "You think I'm making the wrong decision as well?"

Splinter was silent a moment, likely giving Leo a moment to calm down a bit. Raph had a lot of experience with those silences. Finally, their father sighed, "I understand your concerns, my son. However, I don't think forbidding your brothers contact with humans is going to work. As time goes on it will become even more difficult. They crave more outside contact. As I know you do as well, despite your misgivings." He laid a hand on Leo's arm to forestall his denial, "This may be one of the safer options. Miss Longstrom has proven herself trustworthy during the time we have known her. Donatello was also very thorough in his background check and security measures."

"It's not just her being trustworthy that I'm worried about," he said in frustration, "Our contact with her puts us all in danger. What if the Foot notices our association with her. It makes us predictable. They might use her to lead them to us, or hurt her."

Rolling his eyes, but trying to maintain a reasonable tone for his younger brothers' sakes, Raph tried to convince him once more, "April and Casey take that same risk, and it isn't like we couldn't protect them if it came down to it."

"Casey is a cop. He can look after himself," Leo was no longer shouting and seemed to be conflicted.

"And what about April?" Raph questioned.

"She's- family," his argument seemed weaker now and he scrubbed a hand across his face. Finally, he sighed, "Alright. They can maintain contact with her, but that means that from now on we will have to expand our patrols more to include her neighborhood. And I want no more secrets. While they were sneaking off, they could have gotten ambushed out on their own."

Raph patted him on the shell, "Don't stress it so much. I'll go let them know."

"No, I'll do it. I've got to apologize anyway or they aren't likely to forgive me for not taking their feelings into account," Leo said, remembering the argument they had once had on the plane.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes:**

Not quite to the saucy stuff, but some little moments between the two. After all Leo is quite sensible (or so he thinks), I figure he would need a little bit of a build up before he develops any feelings... or admits to them. Next chapter should have the drunk scene though.

**Leo's POV**

After all was said and done, the other two id seem to forgive him eventually. Mikey's excitement helped speed things along. He had hooted in jubilation and rushed to grab his T-phone, as he had nicknamed them. "I'm gonna go text her," he stopped and gasped in sudden realization, "I can show her the Lair now!"

"Uhhh," Leo set off after him, not sure the last part was a good idea quite yet.

That weekend, Mikey came bouncing in, "Terra invited us all over for movies and pizza. You guys in?"

Donnie set down his project with a, "Sure!"

Even Raph appeared, "Did I hear free pizza?"

Michelangelo looked at Leo expectantly. "Well, I may as well go along to keep an eye on all of you," he conceded.

Getting his brothers' confirmation, the orange turtle trotted off to ask Master Splinter. Splinter declined, telling them to go have some fun.

They just beat the pizza to the building, watching the delivery guy silently from the rooftop. Noticing the giant stack, Leo asked incredulously, "How many pizzas did she buy?"

Mikey shrugged, "She did ask what everyone's favorites were. She must have gotten them all. And it looks like she got extra."

They beat Terra inside, as she had left the roof door unlocked and let Mikey know to just come in when they got there. More drinks and snacks were set out, with quite a variety. Leo didn't know why, but the consideration caught him off guard. She seemed to really have gone out of her way to make sure they felt welcome.

It was a little odd, watching her interact and joke with his brothers. Especially Mikey and Donatello, though she was even joking with Raph a bit. "And here I thought you were so intimidated after your last ass-whooping at games here, that you were just avoiding me," Terra taunted gently.

"Psshh, in your dreams, Sweetheart. I just didn't want to crush your fragile human ego. I was taking it easy on you."

It did become apparent later that she wasn't quite used to them though. She made one simple mistake, letting his brothers pick the movie. The debate between the three took off. Terra looked over at Leo, the only one not embroiled in the arguing, "As someone with siblings, I should have known better, huh?"

He chuckled, "Oh yeah. They will be at it for a while at this rate. Wanna know how to get them back on the same page again? There are certain movies they universally hate." He held out his hand with a wink and she handed over the remote, mystified, but interested. Finding what he was after, his brothers not even paying attention yet, he flipped on a movie.

The opening scene finally clued all the rest of them back in and on cue, there was a chorus of groans. "Not this movie, anything but this movie, "Raph sneered.

"Turn it off, for the love of all that is holy," Mikey pleaded. Donnie was just staring at the screen in horror. Leo and Terra were too busy cracking up to put them out of their misery, so Raph snatched the remote from Leo.

Now with the proper motivation, an action movie was fairly quickly decided upon. All the brothers were Marvel fans, so there were plenty of those to chose from.

As time went on, the guys found themselves stopping by more often. Patrols now regularly encompassed the area she lived in, so they would often stop by afterwards. Leonardo was starting to get a better handle on Terra, but she still often surprised him. He knew she enjoyed Mikey's humor and the two of them were constantly sending memes and trading corny puns. After being around her for a while though, he found she also shared his and Raph's more sarcastic humor as well.

Something Mikey and Don had failed to warn them about were the hugs. It had taken a couple of visits, but soon her hugs had expanded to include Raph and Leo. Leonardo had been a bit bemused, but had accepted it. Raphael had groused and pretended he was only tolerating it, but Leo would bet money that his hot-tempered brother secretly enjoyed them. His attempts at avoiding them were always half-hearted.

She was a decent cook as well and if she knew they were stopping by, usually tried to make them something. After one such meal, they had kicked back and were squabbling over the last few cookies. Michelangelo barely missed swiping the last one and had turned a forlorn look on Terra and her cookie. "Raph took the last one. Don't suppose you would take pity and donate yours to a poor starving turtle," he batted his eyes in a puppy-dog look.

"That sounds like an iss-you, not an iss-me," Terra said and stuffed her cookie in her mouth.

"Well, that's just cruel," Mikey sniffed with a false hurt look. Terra just laughed and got up to gather the dishes.

While the others watched TV, Leonardo went to help her with the dishes, a companionable silence between them as they worked. Which was something else he enjoyed; she didn't feel the need to chatter all the time like a certain hyper-active turtle. Turning to put away a pan, he noticed a battered and obviously well loved book sitting on the counter.

Seeing what he was looking at, she picked it up and handed it to him, "The first book in the 'Wheel of Time' series. I'd definitely recommend it, but it is quite the commitment. Fifteen books if you count the prequel, but I wouldn't start with that one. It was probably my least favorite in the series."

He whistled in wonder after hearing how long the series was, "I don't normally go for fantasy books, or even fiction books very often. I normally read non-fiction. Getting to hear stories from the past or another place makes me feel as if I've been there or was a part of it. It's not as good as actually travelling, but-" he shrugged, "-not really an option. I also enjoy books on war tactics and some poetry."

"Hmmm, 'Enders Game' might be a good compromise then. Oooo, or the 'Red Rising' series." She disappeared for a moment and came back with said book. "It is supposed to take place far into the future when people have been genetically enhancing themselves for generations. Of course the rich can afford better upgrades, so they make themselves superhuman and become the ruling class. This series is about the rebellion by the lower class."

Despite his usual hesitation to read fantasy or fiction, he found himself interested. "I'll give it a shot."

Neither had heard Raph come into the kitchen. "Nerds," he deadpanned while shaking his head as if they were hopeless.

"You know, I would deign to argue with you, but as Mark Twain said, 'Never have a battle of wits with an unarmed person'.

He snorted, "Oh, and do you have any other dorky quotes from him?"

She stuck her tongue out, "'Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience."

Raph just snorted again in reply. Terra brandished the mixing spoon she was putting away at him. "You know, I do other stuff besides what you classify as 'nerdy'."

The look of disbelief on the large turtle's face had her continuing defensively, "I go hiking, fishing, and I used to rock climb a lot," she listed off, "And I've done some skydiving as well."

Reluctantly impressed, Raph muttered, "I've been skydiving too. Not that big of a deal."

Leo snorted a laugh and quickly covered it up as his brother turned to glare at him. He didn't like to be reminded of his reluctant jump from the plane. His brothers had teased him mercilessly about it for quite a while after.

Suddenly the youngest turtle came sliding into the kitchen, "Oh, oh, oh. Dudette, I almost forgot. You wanna come see the Lair?"

Mikey had been whining about showing Terra their place since they had gotten permission to hang out with her. Leo had given in once again, though if he thought about it, she had already become a part of their lives, so it made sense to let her see their home as well. He wasn't sure when, but at some point, she had earned his trust.

"Heck yeah!" She and Mikey high-fived and his brother started babbling about all the things he was going to show her. "Oh, and you can finally meet April. You're gonna love her."

**Terra's POV**

Terra fidgeted. She was nervous. The guys had been coming to her place for a few weeks now, but for some reason, finally getting to see their home felt important. Maybe it was the fact that she was finally getting to meet April. She had heard a lot of stories about her and their adventures together. Of course, she also heard about how she had saved them all those years ago. Terra desperately wanted the woman to like her. She had a feeling that if she wanted to be a part of the turtle's lives, things would go much smoother with the reporter's approval.

"Hey."

Terra squeaked as a voice spoke in her ear from behind. She turned to find Leo, his eyes sparkling in laughter. "Don't do that! All of you are entirely too sneaky for as big as you are," she protested.

The normally somber turtle grinned at her, "Sorry. Ninjas."

Somehow, she didn't believe his apology for a second.

"Ready to go?" he questioned. He was here to escort her to the Lair, the whole reason she had been waiting at this random sewer entrance.

She had just barely nodded when she found herself scooped up into his arms. "Hey!" she said in surprise. She had hugged all of them before, but this was… different.

"It's easier and faster if I carry you. Besides, don't want you to ruin your clothes down here," he explained.

She couldn't think of any good arguments against this so after a nod from her, he took off. The speed and maneuvers he made, sliding down the tunnels on his shell, left her clinging to him, any embarrassment forgotten.

While they were sliding down one such tunnel, he nudged her to get her attention, "Hey, relax. I've got you. I'm not going to let you fall."

Terra nodded. She was unable to convince her brain to loosen up the iron grip she had on his shell, but soon enough, she actually found herself enjoying the ride.

In what seemed like no time, they had reached the Lair. The second her escort set her down, she was swept up in another turtle's arms. "Terra!" Mikey said, spinning her around.

She giggled. The affectionate younger turtle always acted like he hadn't seen her in forever. Donnie took his turn greeting her after Michelangelo released her. Then Master Splinter came to say hello after hearing Mikey's yell. He hadn't been up to see her as often as his sons, but he had come along to check on her a couple of times. With his permission, she had added him to her ritual greeting of hugs.

"Where's Raph?" she looked around, not spotting the hulking turtle.

"He's helping April carry down some stuff. But more importantly, now I can show you my digs." She found herself being tugged away. The Lair was actually pretty cool and they kept it very clean. When she heard they lived in the sewer, she had been skeptical, but it was obvious they put a lot of time and effort into their home. The style was kind of eclectic, but she supposed that was one of the hazards of having four young guys decorate it. Most of the stuff looked salvaged and the walls were also covered in the brothers' graffiti.

Mikey showed her their living room, dojo, his gaming setup, and Donnie's lab. Though, the genius had taken over for that part, not wanting his younger brother to touch anything. She got a tour of the kitchen and then finally Mikey's room. Somehow it didn't surprise her that his room was a bit of a toxic wasteland.

She was saved from having to pick her way through it so he could show her his comic books, by a shout at the entrance to the Lair. "OoOoo, April is here. C'mon," he said, clearly excited. "Angelcakes!" the orange banded turtle called.

As April greeted the turtles, Terra took the opportunity to observe her. She was rather short, especially next to the turtles, but she was absolutely stunning. She looked like she belonged on a runway.

After a moment, the woman turned to her and smiled, "So you must be, Terra? I've heard so much about you."

Terra nodded shyly, "Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you too."

Raph came in behind her, carrying several sacks. "I got take-out. I picked up several different things, since I didn't know what you liked, "April explained.

Terra grinned, "I'll eat about anything. Except fish, fish is gross."

"I thought you claimed you fished," Raph came by and ruffled her hair.

"Fished for, yes. Eat them? Absolutely not. They either get thrown back or sent home with someone who can stand them."

It turned out Terra had nothing to worry about. April was very nice, and thanks to her profession, knew how to talk while putting someone at ease.

The night went by quick and soon enough it was time for her to head out.

"If you are up for it, we should do a girls' day out sometime," the brunette offered.

"That would be great!" Terra said. Since she had moved here a few years ago, she hadn't made many close friends other that the people she worked with. It would be nice to have another girl to chat with.

At this point, Mikey was in a food coma, Donnie had long ago retreated to his lab, and Raph was going to make sure April made it home ok; so, Leo offered to escort her home. Terra agreed on the condition that she got to walk. With as full as she was, she didn't think another wild ride was a good idea.

The walk gave them time to talk about all sorts of random things. She had found out from Mikey that some of the art on the walls was Leonardo's, though she couldn't get him to talk much about it. Seemed he was pretty private about it. She tucked that away for a different time, giving up for the moment, but sure she would eventually get him to talk more about it.

For now, she changed the subject. Poking him in the arm, she questioned, "So, have you started that book?"

He raised an eye ridge, "Maybe."

"Sooo, what did you think?"

"Eh," was the reply. He shrugged.

"Eh? What do you mean, eh? How dare you review a book with 'eh'," she pretended to be outraged. She caught the grin he was trying to hide, obviously enjoying provoking her, even if it was just in fun.

"Well, not absolutely horrible, I suppose. For people with less refined taste."

She put on an outraged British accent, or the best she could manage, trying to sound posh, "How dare you, sir. See if I ever lend you a book again. Really, such blasphemy." She turned her nose up in the air and closed her eyes, feigning disdain. At his chuckle though, she cracked an eye and looked at him, "So what did you _actually_ think?"

"It is good so far. I _might_ even go so far as to finish the series," he slipped in one last jibe, before launching into a better explanation of where he was and what he did and didn't like.

They arrived at the sewer entrance she had used earlier. She had an uber on the way so he wouldn't have to escort her all the way home. Before she climbed the ladder though, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a book that he handed her in turn.

"Oh? A recommendation of your own?" she teased. She was secretly pleased, or maybe not so secret since she couldn't help her grin. It was as well loved as some of hers from the appearance, slightly worn and dog-eared from use.

"Well, I have to make sure you get some culture somehow," he teased back.

"Hmmm, we will see," she said, before saying sincerely, "Thanks."

So started yet another tradition. Whenever one would finish a book, they would trade off yet another with each other. It had been quite some time since she had met someone who matched her love of reading.

Unfortunately, things couldn't stay so relaxed for long. The brothers had yet to track down where the Foot had taken those shipments, or what was even in them. In fact, they had gone rather silent, which was making Leo nervous. Add to that that the local Purple Dragon gang was getting more active, and all the brothers were itching for a fight of some sort.

In response to all of this, Leonardo had increased both the patrols and training, which meant Terra found herself seeing them much less. So when Mikey dropped in one night to play some video games, Terra welcomed the chance to get to hang out again and didn't question him about it.

The two were immersed in a game when they heard a growl from behind them, "Mikey!"

They turned to find an incensed looking Leonardo behind them. They had been so engrossed in their game that they hadn't heard anyone enter. He must have come in the roof entrance, since even in their game induced haze, they would have noticed the window next to them opening.

"Eeep," Michelangelo let out a very un-ninja-like squeak, "Hey, bro. What are you doing here?"

"Training. Now," Leo ordered grimly.

Mikey looked like he was going to protest and then thought better of it when his brother leveled his glare on him. The youngest brother got up and meekly started gathering his things, casting one last forlorn glance at the TV before trudging to the fire escape. "Bye, Girlie. Don't play too far ahead without me," he called as he slipped out.

Terra sneaked a peak over at Leonardo, half expecting his glare to have been turned on her for aiding and abetting. However, now that Michelangelo was out of sight, he was gazing after his brother with a look of long sufferance.

As his gaze returned to her, she winced and apologized, "Sorry, I didn't know he wasn't supposed to be here."

The terrapin swiped his hand across his face, "It isn't your fault he is shirking his duties. Especially for a children's game."

Terra put her hands on her hips, "Hey now. This game is viewed with a loving hatred by gamers of all ages. The two-player version particularly."

Leo smirked, "It's a video game. How hard can it be?"

She arched an eyebrow at him, "Oh? Then how about you give it a try sometime? I'll even make a bet out of it. If you're so sure of yourself, it should be easy for you."

He grinned wider, "You know what? You're on. With my ninja reflexes and coordination, it won't be a problem."

"Name a night," she goaded.

"How about tomorrow? It is our night off this week… well for everyone except Mikey. He will be spending some quality time in the dojo to make up for what he slacked off from."

Terra stuck out her had to seal the deal with a handshake, "See you then."

As he climbed out the window, she privately thought to herself that it would be good to see the more relaxed and fun side to Leo again. Being that serious all the time couldn't be good for a person.

**Leo's POV**

As he was getting ready to knock on the glass, he couldn't help but feel a little stupid. What was he doing? Game night? As the leader, he was supposed to have grown out of this and moved past this kid stuff. Besides, with everything going on, he had other duties. But he had already made the deal, he would go through with it. He did have to admit he was kind of looking forward to this.

A different thought made him hesitate again. His brothers hadn't come along. Donatello had experiments he hadn't wanted to leave unattended, and Raphael had elected to work on his bike, the motorcycle having been damaged on their last patrol. Would she think this was weird? She likely had been expecting them all. Apart from Mikey, they had always come over as a group. In fact, besides their quick trip to and from the Lair, this would be the first time he had hung out alone with her.

He gave himself a mental shake. She had invited him over, it was fine. He didn't even know why he was overthinking this.

Once he knocked, he didn't have long to wait. Terra's face popped around the curtain and she gave him a wicked grin as she opened the window, "Ready to get your butt kicked?"

"Oh, we'll see." He was looking forward to the challenge. All the brothers were competitive.

After giving him a chance to practice and learn the controls, they agreed on a best out of three. Three levels, three different types of challenges, and whoever got the best overall score, won.

It turned out, Leo had underestimated this game and how long it would take to even finish a level. They both caught onto the patterns quickly, so it became a game of speed and choice of equipment. But even though they both caught on quickly, it was still some time before they were both through all three.

Leo was on his final run, cross-legged on the floor and leaning forward in concentration. Terra sat on the couch by his shoulder, leaning forward as well and watching intently. Currently they were neck and neck, so he had to beat her run on this level.

As he finished and the boss faded off the screen, they both found themselves holding their breath. Seeing the result, Leo groaned, and Terra grinned evilly. "Pssst, hey. Guess what? You got a B," she said in a singsong voice, "Know what that means?"

He collapsed back against the couch, letting his head fall back to look at her, "So what's my punishment going to be?"

"I'll be nice. I'll give you a choice. Either I get to see some of this mysterious artwork…" she trailed off menacingly, "…Or we go with the second option, which will remain partially a surprise. I will tell you though that Mikey helped me come up with it, and it involves a pink tutu and singing."

"You know, Mikey was right, you are a cruel, cruel individual," he paused as if actually considering the tutu option. It wasn't really an option. One of his brothers would surely record said punishment and they would never let him live it down. He could just imagine them pulling it out for Christmas years down the line. "Fiiine, you can see some."

She was practically bouncing on the couch like a little kid, "How about we go look now? Before you can find a way to worm out of it." She was so excited, that he agreed. Before they headed out, Terra asked, "So what was my punishment going to be?"

He gave her his own evil grin, "I was going to have Mikey cook one of his special dishes for you."

Terra blanched. Mikey had it in him to be a good cook, but he had a penchant for creating weird combinations. The last time she had been to the Lair, Mikey had been concocting one such invention. It had smelled like something had died. "You were planning on killing me?" she asked in mock horror.

"Nah, I'm sure Don could have saved you. He is a pretty good doctor… though not a miracle worker."

**Terra's POV**

Somehow Leo's room didn't surprise her. It was as neat as Mikey's was messy. It was fairly sparse as far as decorations, but he had a stand with what he said were ceremonial swords, a folding paper screen with mountains painted on it, and a few posters hung on the wall. Other than that, there was a bed, desk, and dresser. Though, she covered a giggle when she saw the absolute nest of pillows on the bed.

He shrugged in what seemed like mild embarrassment, "Sleeping on my shell gets uncomfortable without some support.

She hummed in understanding, "Soooo, about this artwork?" she prompted. His obvious reluctance had her ready to take back her bet, not wanting to actually make him uncomfortable. Before she could say anything, he opened the drawer on the desk to pull out some paper and a sketchbook. He rubbed the back of his neck as he handed it to her, looking away as if too nervous to see her reaction.

Terra would have felt bad if she had noticed, but her attention was stolen by the paper on top. It was beautiful. Most of the artwork was done in ink, some was calligraphy, some done in classic Japanese style, and some realism. She walked to the bed and sank down on the edge so she could lay them out and flip through easier.

"These are amazing," her voice was hushed in awe. Has your family seen these?" Mikey had mentioned he did some art, but hadn't described anything like these.

Leo was very clearly embarrassed now, not an emotion she thought she had ever seen from him until tonight. "They've seen a few. Mikey likes snooping more than is good for his health, especially when it involves something in Don's lab. But most of them, no."

In response to her questioning glance, he continued, "Now it isn't something I do as much of, mostly for relaxation. When we were kids, I remember being so jealous of Mikey. He's always been artistic and creative, so anything he does ends up looking awesome. I wanted to be as good as he was, so I started practicing secretly. I don't quite have his creative flair, but I wanted to get better anyway. I didn't want to show them until I thought they were good enough." He rolled his eyes, "Let's just say Raph saw a few early ones and let me know just how bad they were. Then I just never got around to showing them later. They still don't feel like they are good enough yet."

Terra was silent for a moment as she looked at the one in her hands. Setting it aside carefully, she looked at him with a serious expression. "Thank you," she said, "for showing me. I know art can be a pretty personal thing and people often have a hard time seeing the beauty in their own art, but I think you should let them see some. I think they are amazing."

He shook his head, but smiled nonetheless, "We'll see."

Sensing this was still a little too personal for him, she gathered up the artwork to hand back and hopped up to walk to the door. "So, how long do you think Mikey will be training yet?" The young turtle was still currently in the dojo with Master Splinter overseeing him.

"He would have been done by now if he was only making up for the last training he skipped. Unfortunately for Mikey, Master Splinter got caught in the crossfire this morning when Mikey was trying to pull a prank on Raph. Sensei likely won't be done with him for a few hours yet. He said some time in the Hashi would help him channel his extra energy and focus on his training more. Why is that?" he questioned curiously.

Knowing how often Leo was also the target of Mikey's pranks, Terra figured he might be up for at least a little payback. "Weeell, we could always assist him in learning a bit of concentration while he trains." The look on the oldest turtle's face showed her he was interested, so she continued, "It wouldn't take very long to bake up some cookies. And maybe they might just be Mikey's favorite cookies. Then of course while we enjoy said cookies, we could go watch Mikey's training. You know, just to be supportive and all."

Knowing Mikey's weakness for food, this should be quite interesting. Maybe if she felt bad enough, she would even save him a couple.

He shook his head, "Now that is just cruel and unusual punishment." His face broke into a mischievous expression, "Let's do it."

"So, what exactly did he do?" she questioned on the way to the kitchen.

"Oh, you'll see. Just don't say anything about Sensei's fur. He's a bit more… neon colored than usual.

**NOTES:**

First of all, I do recommend 'Wheel of Time' to anyone who likes fiction, as well as the 'Green Rider' series, and any of the Tortall series by Tamora Pierce (though to be honest, the first series 'Alanna the Lioness' wasn't my favorite and I think her writing improved as she added to the world).

Secondly, if you enjoyed the 'issUe' reference/joke, it was something I nabbed from a gaming youtuber called Salty Phish. He has some entertaining videos.


	7. Chapter 7

**NOTES:**

This chapter is a bit long, but wanted to get to the drunk scene I had promised. Things start to take off a bit in this chapter, and will continue to do so. Though Leo is going to be a bit stubborn about it.

**Leo's POV**

Things were still tense in the city. There was no sign of the Foot, it was like they had disappeared, but Leonardo knew there was little hope of that. They were likely just lying low until whatever they were planning was ready.

The Purple Dragons were more active than ever. Not only were they committing more crimes, but there had been several faction wars among them. From the intel Donnie had gathered, their previous leader had disappeared, likely killed off by a rival, so now there was a lot of infighting for the right to rule over the gang. Them killing each other off wouldn't have been so bad, but innocent civilians were getting caught up in it as well.

Since their little competition the other night, Terra had been texting Leo more and he had stopped at her place a couple more times on his own. He had little interest in science in general, that was Donnie's department, but hearing Terra talk about her job was actually quite interesting. She had several stories about all the things that go wrong when wild animals are involved. Turns out, most aren't very cooperative when you want them to be. She had shown him the pictures of the aftermath from tern monitoring. Besides squawking and dive bombing, the birds also had a tendency to projectile poop on any intruders near their nest. Apparently, she had been picking it out of her hair and the inside of her ear for the rest of the day. She assured him that despite the stories of it being good for your skin, it was definitely not worth it.

It was obvious she missed working in the field. She had been sent out here by her company as a consultant with a few of their clients, but that meant she was stuck in boring meetings and writing a lot of papers.

He expected the extra distraction to annoy him, but now he found himself watching for her texts every night and feeling strangely disappointed on the nights he didn't receive them.

Both her and April gave him another reason for concern. They were both in the areas of the gang wars and vulnerable above ground. April had been learning self-defense with the turtles from Master Splinter for quite some time, but that still left Terra. Bringing it up with Sensei one night had resulted in his father suggesting he bring Terra down so they could talk with her about it.

Now, Terra sat kneeling by Leo across from the elderly rat. "As you have probably already noticed, there has been an increase in violence on the streets of late. Leo thinks, and I agree, that it would be wise for you to have another option of protection. If you choose to, we would like to teach you some self-defense," he said.

Terra had seen some of the turtle's training sessions and her eyes now widened in apprehension, "Umm, I don't think I would ever be able to do that."

Splinter shook his head, "Fear not. It would not be nearly as intensive as my son's training. The purpose is not to make you a ninja, but to give you some basics of self-defense.

Tera still looked hesitant, so Leo added his own plea, "Please, it would make us all feel a lot better. If you are still worried, you can ask April. She has been learning self-defense too."

"Mikey told you about his attempt at teaching me how to skateboard, right?" she warned.

Leo nodded with a wince, he had. The brothers had also seen firsthand Terra's ability to constantly trip over flat surfaces, catch on the nearest loose objects as she walked by (honestly, you would think she was the one with the shell), and a few incidents where she hadn't been paying attention and hurt herself one way or another. "The training will help with your coordination too. Don't worry, we will start you out slow and build up gradually. There's exercises that can strengthen your muscles."

**Splinter's POV**

Splinter sat silently, watching the exchange between the two. Terra made a face, "That's not even the only problem though.

Leo gave her a questioning look, but Splinter thought he had an idea of what the problem was. "Ever since my accident a few years ago, I still have issues with my back. It's one of the reasons I don't really do much rock-climbing anymore. It took a fair bit of physical therapy to get back to where I am now."

Leonardo looked surprised, but he hadn't been conscious when Donatello ran his background check. At the time they had skimmed past the details, but pictures of the accident had given them an idea of how severe it had been. Slinter had observed her hesitation at some tasks or her occasional small winces of pain, though she normally hid them well.

His oldest son paused in thought, "I think there might be ways around some of it and I think these exercises might help in the long run to strengthen your muscles in your back and give you more support. Give it a try? If it becomes too much, you can stop. There are several small moves that shouldn't affect your back. At the very least, we can show you pressure points to go after and how to break some holds."

Terra's attention hadn't wavered from Leonardo during his explanation, so Splinter had a chance to observe her expressions. There was trust in her gaze that was obvious. In turn, Leonardo's enthusiasm for this and his desire to help were also obvious. She seemed apprehensive about it still, but in the end Leonardo's reassurances seemed to convince her.

After watching their interactions, Splinter came to a decision. He tapped his walking stick to get their attention, "Since Miss Longstrom has agreed to learn, it would be best to start as soon as possible. Leonardo, you will oversee her training."

Leo looked mildly shocked and Splinter could understand why. He had led the training with his brothers many times once they were older, and helped in April's training as well, but being given the full responsibility of a new and unexperienced pupil was not what he expected. "You aren't going to train her, Sensei?" he questioned.

"My son, you have grown into a very capable and experienced fighter and leader. You are ready, trust in your abilities. If you need any assistance, I am always here."

"Hai, Sensei," Leonardo bowed as Slinter stood and Terra followed his lead.

Walking away, he heard Terra tease her new teacher, "So does this mean I have to call _you_ Sensei now?"

Splinter's whiskers shifted in a smile, it would be interesting to see what came of this.

**Terra's POV**

_Not as intensive, her ass!_ Logically, she knew it actually wasn't, but her aching muscles certainly felt like it was. First Leo had shown her stretches and exercises to start strengthening her muscles. On top of that, he was now showing her several holds, breaks, and soft points to go after. She had managed at first, but gradually he was increasing her exercise, adding more weight training and things to help with her balance as well. At his insistence, she was training every day. Not always physical training, he did give her muscles days off to recover, but he also had her learning breathing techniques and several easier stances and stretches to practice.

Her back did cause her issues. She tried to hide it and power through, disgusted with how weak she felt; but observant as ever, Leo had noticed almost immediately. True to his promise though, he was patient with her and found ways around her injury. Eventually the exercises he had given her started to help at least a little.

Terra didn't know why she was surprised by his patience. She knew she was frustrated by her own shortcomings and the restrictions the old injury put on her, but if he was, he never showed it.

Early one morning she wandered into the Lair blearily. Raph was standing in the kitchen and handed her a plate with some breakfast on it while giving her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, "This'll help."

"Good morning, my lovelies," Mikey sing-songed as he came in and snatched some bacon from the pan.

Terra looked at him balefully. She loved Mikey, but sometimes he had entirely too much energy. He would sleep in most of the day if given the chance, but once he was fully awake, he was immediately back to being a bouncing ball of energy.

She pointed a sausage link at him, "If this was a good morning, I'd still be in bed." The cheeky turtle leaned over before she could react and took a bite off the end of the sausage link, giving her a wink as he did so. Terra growled at him and threw him the rest of it.

Donnie had wandered in around the same time as Mikey. He was perched on a chair, huddled over his morning coffee and grumbling his agreement with Terra's assessment of 'good mornings'.

It was the guys' day off, but unsurprisingly, Leo came in from the direction of the dojo, having just finished his morning workout. "I've got more forms for you to learn today to help with your balance more," he told her.

Terra wanted to collapse onto her plate at the thought of the new torture.

"Give the poor kid a break, Leo. She's been workin' her ass off. Not all of us are as obsessive as you are about training," Raph rebuked him.

Leo's disapproving look seemed to portend a lecture on the importance of training, but a glance over at Terra had him hesitating.

"If you're itching for some training, how about I come kick your ass for a while?" Raphael challenged him, "How about it, Teacher's Pet?"

Leo straightened at the challenge, "Oh, you think you can take me today, Ninja Dropout?"

Raph cracked his neck with a smile, "Let's find out, shall we?"

The prospect of getting to see them spar full out helped wake Terra up the rest of the way. So far, the only training she had gotten to see was the basic stuff. All of them relocated to the dojo to watch the match. The observers staying well back on the side, so they were out of the way.

The two opponents agreed to an unarmed match. No weapons to worry about would mean less need to hold back. They squared off across from each other, both loosening their muscles.

Once they were ready, Raph let out a roar and charged Leo, only to have his charge sidestepped and having to twist away to avoid Leonardo's blow. The match lasted quite some time, neither willing to concede. She was breathless just watching it. She knew they were highly trained, but their blows seemed so vicious, she couldn't help but be a bit worried.

Donatello and Michelangelo were cheering from the sideline and Mikey was narrating the fight in his best sports-caster voice, "Oh, and Raphael takes a hard right swing to the face. How did he not see that coming?"

"Shut up, Mikey!" an aggravated Raphael called as he flipped over his brother's leg sweep.

Of course, this did nothing to discourage the orange banded terrapin. He continued to call out the fight, adding verbal jabs in from time to time. Raph was becoming more and more distracted as his urge to throttle his younger brother increased. Leo, always the one with the cool head, used the distraction to his advantage. He was finally able to slip in and grab his brother in a hold, flipping him over his hip, before pinning him to the ground. "I win," he panted.

"Yeah, yeah, you win this time, Fearless," Raph rolled his eyes, but didn't actually seem to be too upset by his loss.

Mikey however, didn't know when to quit while he was ahead and came over to hold a fake microphone towards Raph. "After your embarrassing loss, do you have any words for-" he cut off with a shriek as Raph lunged for him. The two took off across the Lair as Mikey led him on a chase.

"Come back and take your beating like a real turtle. Have a little dignity," Raph called as he vaulted over the couch after him.

Mikey was using one of the supports as a shield, trying to juke back and forth, "Bold of you to assume I have any dignity." He let out another high-pitched scream when Raph sling-shotted around the pole and took off again.

Leo had come to stand near Terra and Donnie, chuckling. His breathing was back under control, but he was drenched in sweat. Terra found herself doing a double take when she glanced at him. As he started stretching to cool down, she couldn't help but watch the muscles rippling under his scales and the sweat dripping down the crevices between them. _Damn, that's sexy._ The thought brought her up short. _Uh oh. Where had that thought come from? When had she started thinking of him as sexy?_ Now that she had noticed though, she couldn't seem to stop watching his graceful movement.

"Hey, Terra," his voice brought her back from her daze, "I was thinking, Raph is probably right-don't tell him that- but you could probably do with a day off."

Mikey ran by at full speed, yelling, "'Friends' marathon!"

"Oh, uh," Terra mumbled, still feeling dazed by her revelation, "Yeah, sure. A day off would be good."

"You ok?" he looked at her concerned, "Maybe I have been pushing you too hard, you look a bit flushed today."

Donatello came over to lay a hand on her forehead, "You are a bit warm."

Terra felt like she was going to explode from embarrassment. "No, I'm fine, honest," she tried to reassure them while getting her blush under control, "But a marathon and a chance to relax would be nice." She hurried off to the kitchen as the brothers shrugged. "Mikey, where did you hide the extra butter popcorn?" she called to help take some of the focus off her.

A little while later found most of them settled down in the living room, while Leo grabbed the last bowl of popcorn from the kitchen. It was at this point that Terra noticed the last unoccupied seat was next to her. _Should she ditch the couch for the floor?_ Suddenly, she was just very aware of him and self-conscious about any proximity with him.

Before she could decide, he plopped down next to her, not seeming to notice her inner debate. He looked over at her with a smile, "Popcorn?"

She took the proffered snack, while trying to remember when his smile had started giving her stomach this peculiar flip-flopping sensation. Looking back, she realized she had subconsciously been reacting to him without ever realizing it. Likely because she had been so exhausted from her training. If anyone else had pushed her so hard to train so long and so often, she probably would have protested. But with Leo, she had still been looking forward to their training time together. Before this, she hadn't probed too deep into her feelings or reasoning for wanting to be around him so often.

"Just hold out your hands and I'll back into them." The line from the TV and vibration from Leo's accompanying chuckle brought her back to the present. She forced herself to concentrate on the show. It would be fine. It was a crush, likely an unrequited one as well. It would fade after a while, right?

She was very, very wrong. Over the coming days, she found out just how wrong. Training became quite an ordeal for her as every time Leo stood behind her to position her hands and feet, or even an accidental brush, made her very aware of their contact. Each time this happened, she found herself getting flustered, which quite often resulted in her promptly tripping or failing to dodge correctly and ending up on her butt.

Leo sighed in frustration, likely wondering what had happened to cause this sudden set back in her training. "Try it again, and this time, pay attention. You keep losing concentration," he chided, albeit gently.

Terra cringed, hating that she was disappointing him.

Today, April was down visiting the turtles and she had been watching the training thus far, a thoughtful look on her face. After several trying minutes, Leo called an end to their training for the day. "Look," he said with concern in his voice, "I know this had been tough and you are probably tired, but you need to take this seriously."

Terra looked down miserably and said in a small voice, "But I have been."

Leo swiped a hand over his face, "Just- let's just try this again tomorrow."

She nodded as he disappeared to a different part of the Lair. April came over and offered a sympathetic pat on the arm, "Feel like having that girls' day?"

All Terra wanted to do was go home and mope, but she didn't want to be rude when April had been nothing but nice. "Yeah, that might do me some good."

**April's POV**

April ended up taking her to a spa, explaining that she had been coming here regularly since she had started her own training. The massages and soaking in the hot water really did wonders for sore muscles.

Afterwards, the two went out for some coffee and tea, retreating to a secluded table that was out of earshot of the other patrons. "So," April started, "how long have you liked Leo?"

Terra's mouth dropped open in horror, "It's that obvious?"

"To another woman? Yes," April's eyes sparkled, "I wouldn't worry about it too much. Leo seems pretty oblivious to it." April had had developed her hunch quite a while ago after watching the two together. If she was being honest, it had taken her a bit to get used to the idea.

April loved the guys like brothers and the idea of dating them or being attracted to them, never occurred to her. Mikey had flirted often, but he was more like a kid brother to her, so she hadn't taken him seriously. It probably shouldn't have come as a surprise though. She knew better than anyone that while they weren't human, they were still people. And young guys at that.

She knew Mikey found human women attractive, and had seen posters on Raph's walls that had left little room to mistake his preferences. She hadn't really seen any preferences from the other two. Donnie had always been rather bashful when discussing anything but his experiments and new tech. Leo was so stoic and so concentrated on training, that she wondered if he even thought about things like that.

Currently, Terra had her hands covering most of her face, "I don't know when it happened. It was so gradual, I didn't notice it happening."

"You seem… stressed about it?"

The younger woman sighed and looked up at April. "It's just complicated. One, I have no idea if he feels the same. Two, even if he did, it isn't like I can just take him home to meet the parents. But keeping something like that secret would feel wrong. Three-" Terra groaned, "-it's just…"

"Complicated?" April finished for her. After years of snooping for stories, the reporter could tell there was something she was hiding, but didn't want to push her. This was a big deal. The guys were family to April and she didn't want them getting hurt, but she had come to really like Terra and was worried about her as well.

This kind of relationship would be quite the commitment and would likely take more work than most normal relationships with all the stress. It wasn't as if the guys could take someone out on a date somewhere normal, like dinner at a restaurant or anything. Hiding the relationship from family and friends would really suck as well.

To add to all of that, if it didn't work out, the turtles might lose one of their few links to the outside world. Not to mention, it would be harder for them to recover from considering how few opportunities they had romantically right now.

"Listen, I know it probably doesn't help a lot, but it is obvious that Leo cares about you. He has always kept a tight leash on his emotions and been rather hard to read at times, so it is hard to tell if he is interested, but maybe it would help to talk to him about it?" April suggested.

Terra shook her head, "I don't want to make things awkward. That might ruin our friendship."

April patted her soothingly again, not having any easy answers.

"You know what? A night out will probably help. A little distraction will be good for me. I know a couple people from work that would love to go out drinking. Want to come?" Terra asked.

**Leo's POV**

"Awww," Mikey whined while looking at his phone.

"Mikey, shut it," Leo snapped, his patience wearing rather thin today. He had come to the dojo to meditate and do some thinking about these new problems with Terra. He couldn't help but wonder if it was his fault. Was he just a bad teacher? He didn't want to fail her or Master Splinter.

Now though, Mikey was making it very difficult for him to master his thoughts. Another gusty sigh had him cracking his eye open to glare at his younger brother, "What is it, Mikey?"

"Terra hasn't had any time to hang out. First, it was your training her to death. So, I figured that since you gave her the night off, I could go over and hang out."

Leo felt a twinge of some unnamed emotion. For some reason lately, Mikey constantly hanging out with Terra had been bothering him. He couldn't quite explain why, they had been close since the start, and them hanging out was normal. So why was it bothering him now? He was concerned about it interrupting her training, but she did need to have some fun. His brother's next sigh brought him back to the conversation and he put that unnamed emotion away to contemplate later.

"But now it turns out she is going out for the night," Mikey continued, "So she can't hang out."

"Oh," Leo said, the twinge coming back, "Going out? With who?"

"She's going drinking with some friends from work and April is going with. Man, this sucks," he plopped down.

Leo felt the urge to text Terra and check on her, but he squashed it. It wasn't any of his business who she went out with- or if she decided to go home with anyone. He closed his eyes again and tried to tamp down the confusing roil of emotions.

More dramatic sighs from Michelangelo had him also tamping down a very Raph-like urge to strangle his baby brother. "Mikey, out! Now!" he told him one last time.

A few hours later, he was no further in sorting out what was going on in his head and he was about to ask Raph if he was up for another sparring match, when his phone buzzed. He quickly pulled it out of his pocket, expecting a text from Terra, but found one from April instead. '_Hey,' _it read,_ 'Would you mind checking in on Terra to make sure she made it home ok? She took an uber home, so she should be fine, but she did have quite a bit to drink tonight.'_

He was up in a flash and called over his shoulder as he left the Lair, "Going for a run." With all the crime in the area lately, he could just imagine the things that might happen to her.

When he got there, the apartment was dark and there was no sign of Terra. He paced on the roof, concerned. He was getting ready to call her when a vehicle pulled up.

A rush of relief filled him when she got out and made her way to the door. Getting a good look at her made him pause though. _Wow, she looked…good._ Her hair was wavy tonight and pulled back in a messy ponytail. The black dress she wore was hugging her figure and the cutouts on either side showed just enough skin to tease at more. Even without the black heels she carried, she looked… wow.

His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed she had stopped at the door, sliding down onto the front steps. _What was she doing? _It definitely wasn't safe outside around here at this time of night. After several minutes of internal debate, he called her.

"Aaayyye, Leeooo," she answered.

By the sound of her, April's assessment of her having too much to drink was correct. "What are you doing sitting outside?" he asked.

She looked up and around, "Are you watching me?" He heard her snicker, "You know, some people call that stalking."

He sighed, apparently it was going to be a bit difficult to get sense from her tonight, "April was worried. Now why don't you come upstairs?"

"Ugghh, stairs," she complained, "You know, I would, but the dang things won't stop spinning."

Making a quick decision he told her, "Hang on a minute, I'll be down" Then hung up and went inside. He killed the light on the stairs, so he would be less likely to be seen, before going down. Kneeling next to her so he could glare at her reprovingly, he stated, "You're drunk."

She just giggled and reached out to try and tweak his beak, "And you're a turtle."

"Come on, let's get you upstairs," he said as he gathered her in his arms to carry her up.

She nuzzled her head into his shoulder, "Mmmm, you smell nice."

He nearly tripped over his own fee, "Uh, thanks?" All he got was a hum in response, so he figured he was safe to continue. When they reached her first floor, he gave her a stern look as he set her on the couch, "You need to get some rest, and then you and I need to have a talk tomorrow."

As he tried to set her down though, she tightened her grip. "You're leaving? Stay for a little while?" she batted her eyes, "Please?"

Oh no, her puppy dog eyes were even harder to resist that Mikey's. And was that a lip quiver? The final blow came when her eyes started welling up and he was quick to acquiesce, "All right, but just for a bit. It's late. You need sleep." Her sad look disappeared in an instant and he narrowed his eyes, "Faker."

She just smiled and patted the couch next to her. Trying to keep the stern look, he sat next to her, only to be shocked when she snuggled up and tucked herself into his side. "Umm, Terra?"

She patted his plastron and shushed him, "Shhh, good pillow."

Leo was too surprised at this point to do anything but hold still. After long enough that he thought she would be asleep, he shifted, intending to lay her down on the couch. As soon as he moved though, she whined and tried to burrow further into his side. With a sigh of defeat, Leonardo settled back into the couch again. This did feel nice. Trying not to overthink it, he let himself enjoy her warm weight against him.

"Thank you," the muffled vice came from where Terra was curled against his chest.

"For staying?" he questioned quietly.

"Not just that. For training me, being patient even though I suck, and just for being around," was the reply.

He was a bit taken aback. He knew his family appreciated him, but it wasn't something they really talked about, he just knew. It was nice hearing it though. The only problem being that right now, he didn't feel as if he deserved it. "Really? Because I kind of feel like I'm failing you right now."

This brought her face out, she looked a little dazed and was blinking in surprise, "What? Why?"

"Well," he thought back to the last couple weeks and let his head fall back to stare at the ceiling, "Lately we seem to have taken a step back in both the training and our friendship. It seems like it is stressing you out too much and you are avoiding it now. I'm not blaming you. I shouldn't have taken on training you. My brothers are always after me about being too intense and I don't want to burn you out on it. I'll let Master Splinter know he should take over your-" his ramblings were cut off abruptly.

Sometime during his explanation, Terra had risen to her knees. When this hadn't had the desired effect of getting his attention, she swung her leg over his lap, straddling him and trapping his face between her hands so he was looking at her.

Leo froze. It wasn't like this was the first time they'd had such close physical contact. In training they had been in far more contact than this, but during training his mind was on his duty as a sensei to make sure she was trained and to keep her safe. Not to mention that she wasn't normally in a skin-tight dress that was currently riding its way up her legs.

The blue-banded turtle might have frozen, uncertain of what to do, but his member certainly had no qualms. His tail twitched agreeably with the woman on his lap and the compromising situation.

Terra seemed unaware of the effect she was having and looked at him seriously, despite her tipsy state, "No, you won't tell Splinter that, because you aren't failing me. You have been a wonderful teacher and I've learned a lot from you."

Leo tried to clear his throat, but found his voice still didn't want to come out quite right, "Listen, maybe we should have this conversation later, when you aren't drunk." _And when I'm not resisting the urge to kiss her and see if her skin feels as soft as it looks_, he thought ruefully.

He grabbed her waist, careful to touch only the places the dress covered, and lifted her off him gingerly.

Terra looked confused as Leo backed away towards the window. "But-", she started.

"Get some rest, okay?" Leo all but bolted for the window before she could get the idea to follow.

It was several rooftops away before he stopped and collapsed onto the roof, dropping his head into his hands. _Shit._ _What was he doing?_ _She had been drunk and he had wanted to_\- his shell tightened more as his mind flashed back to all the things he had wanted to do in that moment. Not to mention how much this complicated things.

They had grown close so gradually, he hadn't realized how deep his feeling for her had been running. He shook his head ruefully, or maybe he had been ignoring it. Suddenly his reaction earlier with Mikey made so much more sense. _God, he was_ _**jealous**__._ _What was he going to do? _

Feelings for her could very well get in the way of his duty. It could compromise his ability to react calmly and without bias. With clouded judgement, his distraction might put his family in danger. A leader needed to be able to detach himself from the situation and think clearly. She already drove him crazy with worry, what would happen if they got into a relationship?

He felt his heart squeeze at another thought. All of this was assuming that she ever would or could return his feelings. Yes, they had become quite close friends, but she hadn't ever expressed anything romantic towards him. Even tonight, when she had straddled him, there had been nothing sexual in her intentions, just a desire to get his attention.

She probably never would have purposefully made that much contact with him outside of training if she hadn't been drunk. And how could she have any romantic feelings towards him? He was a mutant and definitely not human. He looked down at his hands and skin, comparing how different they were to hers. Unlike his brothers, he had decided early on to accept how different they were from humans. Which also meant accepting that they would likely never get to experience normal things such as relationships or having a family of their own. He _thought_ he had accepted it anyway. This hallow feeling seemed to suggest otherwise.

Not knowing what to do with this tumult of emotions and thoughts, he decided to do exactly what he had told his brothers he was out to do; he would go for a run, and if he found any criminals to take some of this out on, so much the better.

**NOTES:**

Yes, I borrowed the 'bold of you to assume I have any dignity' meme from tumblr (I know the first part came from Tumblr user draeneis, but I've seen variations of it all over and I saw this one from yiffmaster on tumblr).

I still have a bit more written already, but it will likely be a longer time before I post the next chapter. I have an idea of where I want the story to go, but I am torn about how to get there. And yes, Leo is finding out he is a bit jealous, and will likely continue to learn to deal with it, but don't worry, he isn't going to turn into a super possessive jerk.

Reviews are welcome!


	8. Chapter 8

**NOTES:**

This chapter has been such a pain in the butt for me. It is one I have rewritten portions of so many times, but there are bits of important information for later in the story in here. So I wanted to force myself to put something out and to stop rewriting it. I think part of my issue was my own impatience to get to the 'good stuff' lol, and partially, I don't think I do well with writing angst.

Some heads up, there is a naughty/hopefully good tidbit in this chapter. Hope you enjoy it. If you want to skip over it, I tried to make it very obvious that part was coming. There is also mention of minor character death at the end of the chapter. It is something I planned to put in from the beginning for various reasons, but then debated for a long time on whether or not to actually do so.

We are getting to the more intense bits, which should start in the next chapter if all goes to plan.

**Terra's POV**

Terra awoke with a groan. Was that pounding real or just her head? Even simply leaning over to grab her phone had her stomach rolling in protest. After giving her stomach a second, she opened her texts. She shot a reply to April, assuring her she was ok. Then, sent a text to Leo, letting him know she wouldn't be down for training today. She hoped he wouldn't be too upset. He already knew she had gotten drunk, so he was probably expecting this.

Vaguely she remembered him stopping by last night, but her memories were too fuzzy to remember details. She groaned before flopping back into the pillows. Hopefully she hadn't said anything too embarrassing or made a fool of herself. Knowing that in the long run something to drink and some food would do her good, she drug herself out of bed to try to get on with her day.

It was much later in the day before she was just starting to feel human again. The only reply she had gotten from Leo was a simple 'Ok'. It made it difficult to tell if he was upset or not, though considering that sending back just one-word texts wasn't like him, she was leaning towards the former.

Several texts buzzed through at the same time before she could set her phone down, all of them from Mikey. The first ones were him checking on her and seeing if she had fun, but the last one was an invitation. 'Want to come over for Easter this weekend?'

With everything going on, she had kind of spaced the upcoming holiday. Considering how expensive it was to travel home, and the fact that her parents and siblings had come up for Christmas right before she had her fateful run-in with the turtles, she hadn't made any plans for the day.

'I would love to. What should I bring?'

Terra showed up extra early the next morning. Maybe she could at least partially make it up to Leo for missing training yesterday. She found him warming up in the dojo, seemingly unaware she had come in. To her surprise, Donnie was there as well. Normally, it was just her and Leo.

The purple-banded turtle looked up from his stretches and waved happily to her. _At least someone is happy to see me._

Leo had come to a halt and was giving her an unreadable look. Unable to tell whether he was angry with her or not, she approached reluctantly. Before he could say anything, she bent forward in the bow he had taught her when her training had first started. Too nervous to see his reaction, she kept her head down while she apologized, "I'm sorry for missing training yesterday and for performing so poorly lately." She figured if he was upset, then an apology would hopefully help.

"It's fine. So long as you realize that this is for your own protection. It isn't something we are just doing for fun." His voice was his normal serious mode, but he didn't sound upset, so she hazarded a glance up as she voiced her understanding.

The oldest turtle's expression hadn't changed, but she noticed Donnie was looking at him oddly. As she straightened, Leonardo started explaining what they were doing today, "I want you to try some of the moves with Donnie. It will be good for you to experience other people's builds and fighting styles. It would also be beneficial for you to do some training with April and maybe even Casey, as most humans won't have the same height or bulk that we do."

And so her training went over the next few days, with her sparring with all three of the other brothers. Given his explanation, this wouldn't have been too odd if she hadn't noticed several other changes between them. She found the gentle teasing between them had stopped. Things that normally got a smile from him, even while he was in teacher mode, no longer did. The close contact with him was no longer a distraction, since he was no longer sparring with her and now only corrected her stances verbally from the sidelines. Something he had started doing, claiming that it would make it easier to keep an eye on her form.

Even outside of training he became more distant, often disappearing afterwards; sometimes with an explanation, but often without. Even his replies to texts had become terse. He had reverted to being as serious and distant as when they first met, maybe even more so.

The only conclusion Terra could come to for his sudden change, was that she had said or done something the night she had gotten drunk. Unsure of how to bring it up, she left it alone in hopes things would go back to normal given time. Not that he ever gave her the opportunity to bring it up even if she had wanted to do so. When he was around, he always had some excuse of being busy.

The week continued to pass like this, making it difficult for her to even look forward to her first holiday with the turtles.

**Donnie's POV**

Like most holidays, Easter started early in the Lair. They had all spend the past couple of days cleaning their bit of the sewers until it practically shone. The day of found them all pitching in to help with the food. Mikey, of course, was closely supervised so he didn't try any of his food experiments over the holiday… again. He shuddered just remembering the year they had let Mikey cook the turkey for Thanksgiving.

It wasn't long before April, Casey, and Terra all showed up. This being the first time Terra was getting to meet Casey, things were a little quiet at first.

Turning to ask Leo something, Don found he had slipped away. Donatello had noticed the change in his older brother recently. He was often out on his own now, something he had lectured them for repeatedly in the past. It was something they were avoiding bringing up though, as his temper had also shortened in the recent days; both during and outside of training. Well, everyone but Raph was avoiding bringing it up.

Raph had immediately taken the opportunity to rub it in their leader's face that he wasn't so perfect after all and wasn't the 'golden boy' anymore. As a result, tensions between the two had been riding high as well.

A laugh brought his attention back to the group. Casey had become more laid back and joked more as he got to know the turtles, and they had quickly gotten to see how similar his and Raph's humor was. So, it came as no surprise that the initial awkwardness wore off fast and it wasn't long before he was joking with Terra as well as the brothers. April watched with a secret smile that told Donnie she had likely asked Casey to put in some extra effort to help Terra feel included.

It wasn't long before the food was ready, and they had all gathered around the table. Mikey nabbed Terra with a grin and plopped her into the seat next to him. Everyone smiled at their little bro's normal goofy behavior, but Don happened to glance over at his older brother who, unnoticed by the others, had sat down stiffly next to Don and was scowling down at his food. Concerned, the tech savvy turtle kept an eye on him throughout the meal and noticed how he seemed to pick at his food, not really eating much more than a couple of bites.

It was Leo and Don's turn to clean up afterwards. Everyone helped put away the food, but the two brothers were stuck with the dishes.

Splinter had retired to his room for a nap and the remaining five were gathered in an open area of the Lair. Raph and Casey not only shared a similar sense of humor, but were both insanely competitive with each other. Casey had at some point challenged Raph to a game of hockey and had somehow pulled the others into the game. On one team was Raph and April; Raph being both a powerhouse and a ninja, and April having quite a bit of natural skill at the sport. On the other side, to balance their team out, was Casey, who was the most experienced; Mikey, who was fast and nimble; and Terra, the newbie to the sport.

Casey brought his two teammates into the huddle to make a plan. Before they broke, he slung a friendly arm over Terra's shoulders and seemed to be trying to reassure her with a grin.

A low growl from beside him surprised Donnie out of his observations. A glance over at Leo showed his brother was also watching what was happening in the other room, too caught up to notice Don's surprise.

His older brother looked decidedly unhappy about Casey's casual contact with Terra, scowling as he turned back to the dishes and began scrubbing them harder than necessary. The tech savvy brother just shook his head; they all knew how devoted Casey had been to April since they started dating. He didn't mean anything by it and was likely just trying to make her feel more comfortable and included.

Leo continued with the dishes in stony silence, one Don wasn't sure how to break. The moment the dishes were done, Leo disappeared into his room with a muttered explanation of being tired.

Figuring he would give his brother a bit to calm down from whatever was bothering him, Donnie wandered over to join the game.

After a long and intense game, their brother was still absent. Trying to make sure the others didn't notice, Donnie quietly went to check on him. A light knock on his door and a soft, "Leo?" brought a tired sounding, "What, Donnie?"

Don cracked open the door to see Leo sitting on a mat, apparently trying to meditate. "You ok?" he questioned.

"I'm fine," Leo replied without opening his eyes. Based on his voice, everything was definitely not fine.

"Did something happen? Things between you and Terra seem- off?"

"No, Don. _Nothing_ happened. I'm just tired, ok," his brother almost sounded bitter.

"Well-" he started.

"Enough, Donatello," the warning was clear in the blue-banded turtle's voice. With a sigh, Don reluctantly closed the door. It went against his instincts as both the family doctor and their brother to leave when one of his family had something bothering them, but when Leo got closed off like this, there was nothing to do that wouldn't just make him angrier.

The rest of the night went by fast and before long, the three humans stood to say their goodbyes. April and Casey having already offered to give Terra a ride home. Up until this point, no one had commented on Leo's absence, but now April looked at Donnie questioningly. He could only shrug helplessly. Don noticed Terra looked a little downcast as she realized Leo wasn't coming out to say goodbye.

The guys had the next day off from training and were each left to their own devices. As he passed Splinter's door, he heard Leo's voice from within, "I think you should take over Terra's training." Don paused and checked his surroundings before leaning in to eavesdrop.

"My son, what brought this on? I thought Terra was making remarkable progress."

"I feel she would benefit more from your training, Sensei. My methods have seemed to burn her out. I'm failing her as a teacher," Leo laid out his explanation.

"These things take time. As I said, she has made remarkable progress training with you. I think perhaps you need only have a little patience and confidence in your ability as a sensei. Mayhaps there is something else bothering you-"

"No!" Leo cut him off in a rare display of temper with their father. Donatello nearly fell on his shell in shock. Leo almost never talked back or interrupted Master Splinter. "Why is everyone on my shell so much lately? There is nothing wrong!"

"Leonardo!" Splinter's sharp rebuke silenced the oldest turtle.

There was a pause and Don could almost imagine his brother bowing his head in shame. "Sorry, Sensei. I'm just stressed. With the Food and the Purple Dragons on the move, it is frustrating to have so few leads or to be able to do anything about it," his brother sighed, "I would just be more comfortable if you were to take over her training."

Their father let the silence stretch before finally saying, "While I disagree with you, I shall do it."

Sensing their conversation was coming to an end, Donnie scrambled away before he could be caught listening in.

Safely back in his lab, Donatello considered his brother's behavior. Though it seemed unlikely in their duty-bound brother, he thought he had an idea of what was wrong. When Leo and Terra had started spending more time together, all of them had approved the change in their brother. As they had gotten older, Leo had become more and more serious and driven; likely due to the pressures of leading and the events of the past few years. Don knew that their family's safety and lives weighed heavily on their oldest brother. Around Terra though, he had started to relax and let himself have a bit of fun again.

Lately, something between the two seemed to have changed. They had been acting oddly around one another, and if Donnie's interpretation of Leo's behavior the past couple days was correct, he was jealous.

As the family doctor, he had monitored and recorded all their health and behavior over the years, and so he had to wonder how much the time of year was also affecting Leo's behavior. During Spring and Summer, they all tended to become a bit more aggressive and well- there was definitely an increase in libido. This time period coincided with normal turtle's mating season, so Don assumed it was a leftover animal instinct.

It had never greatly affected them, but then again, there hadn't really been any potential mates around. None of them had ever reacted to April, other than Mikey when they first met her. Now they all viewed her as a part of the family.

Donatello wasn't sure how to handle this. Maybe he should go speak to Sensei about it, or even one of his brothers.

First though, he wanted coffee. He always thought clearer with a cup of coffee in him.

**Leo's POV**

Leo groaned. It was the middle of the night and he had woken up covered in a sheen of sweat and with a certain other persistent problem, one that showed no signs of going away, or down in this case, on its own.

Ever since that night at Terra's, almost two weeks ago now, he had been trying to distance himself, hoping it would help him gain some control over his feelings. He had a duty to his family, and he couldn't afford to let himself get distracted. He shied away from the fact that he might also be avoiding thinking of how Terra would react if she did find out.

Already he had been dealing with jealousy. Something he had been feeling for a while, but unable to name at the time. Like at Easter, Casey's easy interactions with terra and the fact they had hit it off so quick, shouldn't be bothering him at all. Logically, he knew Casey wasn't interested in her in that way. It was obvious to them all how head over heels he was for April.

But even towards his brothers, there had been small flares of jealousy. Seeing her interactions with them led to thoughts of how much better matches they would probably be for her. Donnie could actually discuss her job with her on the same level and help brainstorm solutions when she ran into obstacles at work. He had caught snippets of their debates and discussions on various papers and studies when walking past Don's lab.

Then there was Mikey, who was always down for something fun and was the most laid back of them all. It was also Mikey who could always coax a laugh from her. Quite often, they both ended up laughing until they cried or huddled in the corner giggling over something.

Even with Raph she had developed a friendly rivalry; whether it be trading stories to try and one up each other or competing in something like video games. Though Raph got competitive with everyone, that wasn't all. Their normally hot-headed brother seemed to have a soft spot for her and did his best to control his temper around her, which did have a positive effect overall. If Leo had been thinking straight, he would have realized Raph had this same soft spot for April as well. Raph had even been trying to teach Terra a few more things about working on vehicles, and the two could be heard chatting while under the hood; something else that was out of character for Raph, who usually preferred music or even silence while he worked.

To top off all of that, Leo had started having trouble with dreams as well. Some of them were nightmares, his worry over her and his family's safety manifesting in them. These always left him feeling restless and sick to his stomach. Others- others were like the dream that had plagued him tonight; dreams that woke him from his sleep with his heart racing and his member straining for release.

Determined to master both his mind and body, he had been denying himself, hoping the dreams would stop. All of this was leading to a lot of sleepless nights, which was starting to wear on him. At this point he was desperate for a full night's rest. Though, with his current problem, that wasn't going to happen any time soon.

Knowing what his best bet was, he closed his eyes and reasoned he could just take care of it quickly and wouldn't think about her.

The blue-banded terrapin let his had drift down his plastron and under the blanket to grip himself, pumping his length while desperately trying to keep his mind blank.

It wasn't long before he felt himself getting closer to the edge, several nights worth of pent up desire driving him forward. Despite his resolve, flashes of dreams intruded. There had been Terra kneeling in front of him, her lips gliding along his length; then a different scene of her writhing on the bed in pleasure as he pumped into her, his name on her lips.

The thought of her calling his name was what finally drove him over the edge. He bit down on his own urge to call out her name as his desire spurted across his front. As the pleasure faded, so did the haze that had taken over as he neared his release. His cheeks burned, embarrassed and frustrated by his own lack of control.

Cleaning himself up, he sighed, at least he could get a bit of sleep tonight.

**Terra's POV**

Well, Leo was definitely avoiding her. She had found out about the change in training right after the holiday. When she had showed up to the Lair for training, instead of Leo waiting for her, she found Master Splinter instead. The turtle's father sat her down to let her know he would be training her in place of Leonardo and to discuss her training going forward.

Terra knew she shouldn't have been hurt by the change in teachers, but nevertheless, she felt a pang of disappointment. The fact that he was avoiding her definitely hurt a little.

When Splinter had broke the news to her, a quiet 'Oh' had slipped out. Not wanting to seem too pathetic or accidently hurt Splinter's feelings by making him think she didn't want to learn from him, she tried to put on a smile.

Later, when she had time to think, she wracked her brain, trying to remember what had happened the night she had gotten drunk. It had been right after that that he had started acting so odd. She must have said or done something to give away her feelings. Terra had known he might not return her feelings or it might make him a little uncomfortable, but she hadn't thought he would be _this_ bothered by it.

There wasn't a chance to talk with him about it, as she didn't even catch a glimpse of him over the next few days. Though Leo was always conspicuously absent, the other brothers were normally around, unless they happened to be out on patrol. None of them brought up their leader's absence, so she avoided the subject as well.

Friday night rolled around and Terra was just getting ready to order the usual pizza for one of her and Mikey's movie nights. Their nights hanging out together had lessened of late, but the hyperactive turtle had been itching to get out of the Lair for something other than patrols, so Terra had suggested meeting up at her place to veg out.

Before she could grab her phone, a text came through. Checking it, she saw it was from Mikey. 'Sorry, Dudette. Gotta take a raincheck on movie night. Don got some new intel on the Foot we are checking on.'

Terra couldn't help but feel a bit worried. Things on the streets were reaching a boiling point and she felt like something big was coming. The guys were tougher and more resilient than most people and sometimes seemed practically indestructible, but you never knew what might happen. 'Be careful and good luck,' she texted back, 'Let me know when you guys get back safe?'

Her phone lit up with his reply, 'No worries. I'll stop by if we get back early enough.'

Terra sent back an affirmative before noticing she was chewing on her lip with worry. Forcing herself to stop and try to relax, she searched for a show to distract her until they were back.

A few episodes turned into several as the hours dragged by. She was starting to wonder if she would finish the season before hearing from Mikey, when she was startled by a knock on the window.

Twitching the curtains aside revealed a battered looking Mikey. After he crawled in, she hurried to give him a hug while trying to be careful of his numerous bandages. "You're hurt! What happened?!" she exclaimed as she pulled back to look him over.

"I'm ok. Honest. Tis just a flesh wound," he said with a wink.

Having none of his cheekiness while she was so worried, Terra towed him over to the couch so he could explain what had happened. "Donnie heard about some more Foot shipments that were supposed to come in tonight, so we went to investigate," he launched into his explanation.

The guys had been able to find and get a look at these shipments. Apparently, the Foot were importing large quantities of weapons and distributing some among local gangs to arm them. The Purple Dragons, who now had a new leader, were among these gangs. Said new leader seemingly worked for the Foot. Donnie suspected the Foot had orchestrated the disposal of the Dragons' previous leader so they could replace him with someone who owed fealty to them.

This last shipment had been set to be distributed outside both the city and the state. This was likely a bid by the Foot to quickly and quietly expand their influence as far as they could. Among the weapon cache was another supply of armor piercing rounds; something they could only assume was meant for them, since their shells had become a problem for the local criminals who relied on guns.

"No worries though. The whole shipment is sitting on the bottom of the harbor, thanks to yours truly," he bragged, then amended, "Well, Raph helped a little."

Terra gestured to his bandages, "Ok, so where did all these come from?"

"Weeeelll, turns out, besides their new sword wielding soldiers, the Foot have already been stockpiling some of those armor piercing bullets. One grazed me and one got me in the arm," he saw Terra's horrified look and tried to reassure her, "It's fine, it went right through. Raph's was much more impressive."

"What!? Raph got shot too?"

"Oh, uh-" Mikey seemed to realize he was freaking her out more. "No, no, no. Raph's ok. He got shot right below his shoulder," Michelangelo explained as he pointed to the top right plate on his plastron to indicate where, "But Don got it out and he said Raph should heal up fine- so long as we can keep him from overdoing it too soon."

"What about the others?" she asked, dreading to hear what other injuries Mikey had neglected to mention.

He waved away her concerns, "Just a few cuts and bruises."

Terra sighed in relief. Then Mikey made a face she couldn't interpret, "Speaking of the others, I need to head back. Leo's worried about us being off on our own with all this going on, especially with the big guy out of commission."

Terra nodded in understanding. She would feel horrible if he were to get hurt because he had stopped by to update her.

After securing a promise from him that he would text her when he made it home safe, Mikey took off, leaving Terra to dwell upon how lucky they had gotten. She had always known they encountered dangerous and possibly life-threatening situations on an almost nightly basis, her first meeting with Leonardo was evidence of that, but nights like this really made her very aware of how easily she could lose any of them; a certain honor-bound turtle in particular at the forefront of her mind.

Maybe it was better nothing had happened with him; she wasn't sure she would be able to handle the long nights of sitting up and wondering if he was going to make it home. If her feelings were to develop further, she wasn't sure he'd make it through losing someone she loved, not again.

**Splinter's POV**

The elderly rat watched Terra over the steam rising from her cup. A troubled looking Terra had sought him out the night after his sons' dangerous raid. Splinter might have been old, but the tension between his oldest son and the young lady before him had been quite obvious. As Leonardo's father, he had hoped things would move smoothly for them, but matters of the heart were rarely easy or simple.

Even though he had sensed the unbalance in them some time ago, he had waited until one of them sought him out. His sons were past the age where they needed him to make their decisions for them. Now that they were adults, they needed to make their own choices and mistakes. That didn't mean he wasn't there for them to lean on when they needed it, or when they wanted advice, but they also needed a chance to work it out for themselves.

Terra was not one of his children, but he had come to think of her as a member of his family and was glad she had felt comfortable coming to him to talk.

Fiddling with the cup in front of her, she finally took a deep breath and seemed to steel herself. "I'm falling in love with Leo," she blurted out.

"Oh, I hadn't noticed," Splinter tried to keep his voice solemn, but knew she could likely see the twinkle in his eyes. Terra looked up, chagrined, "That obvious to you too, huh?"

He couldn't help the small smile that graced his face. She sighed and continued fiddling with her cup until Splinter laid a paw across her hand to still it. Gently he asked, "Yet you are troubled by this?"

He saw her gulp. "Well, for one, I can't seem to get a read on his feelings. For a while, I thought there might be a chance he could return my feelings, but then he became so distant. When he isn't avoiding me, he may as well be, since he doesn't seem to even know I'm there. Leo won't talk with me anymore either. He always claims he is busy. Maybe I misread his feelings, and now he is too uncomfortable to be around me."

To Splinter, his oldest son's interest in her had been as obvious as hers had been towards Leonardo, but he also didn't feel as if it was his place to tell her his son's feelings towards her. Yet, he could understand her insecurity and wanted to try and ease it somehow. "Out of all my sons, Leonardo has always had the most trouble expressing his emotions. He views them as a weakness, and feels the need to hide them," Splinter sighed, "Likely this is partially my fault. I fear I've always put too much pressure on him as the leader, but I wished to prepare them for the day that I will no longer be here."

Terra looked up with concerned eyes and he couldn't help but chuckle, "Do not worry. I don't plan on dying anytime soon, but one never knows when their time will come. After all, I am already well over the age most of my species live to. This mutagen has granted me many wonderful years with my family. For which I am grateful."

He paused, deciding how to word this, "Leonardo has also always been quite protective over those he cares about. I know he worries that your association with us will put you in danger. And as far as matters of the heart go, you likely know my sons have… little experience in these matters. Any uncertainty you feel, he likely does as well. He is on new and uncertain ground, and I think that in itself scares him."

Terra nodded, seeming to take in all he was saying.

"But this is not the only thing bothering you, is it?" he questioned.

Surprise colored her face as she said, "You really are quite good at reading people."

"Four moody teenage boys certainly gave me quite a bit of practice," he confided in her.

"Well," she began, "I guess part of it is that I feel guilty and worried." His questioning look spurred her on, wanting to get everything out, "I was engaged a few years ago."

Splinter tried to keep the surprise from his face, not wanting to interrupt her. Terra rushed on, "I had thought-" She blinked back tears before continuing, "I had thought we would spend the rest of our lives together. You know, have kids, grow old together?"

He quickly passed her some tissues to wipe her eyes and she gave him a grateful look. "You know about the car accident I was in and my injury, but-" another moment of hesitation and she took a deep breath for courage, "-I wasn't the only one in the vehicle. My fiancé, Will, was too. Only he didn't survive the impact." She fell quiet as she finished, dabbing her eyes as she tried to hold back tears.

Splinter felt his heart break for the young woman in front of him, finally understanding a good portion of her reluctance. He rose to settle next to her on the other side of the table. Placing his paw on her shoulder, he said mournfully, "I'm so sorry, young one. The loss of someone you love would be devastating. Especially when the loss is so sudden and unexpected. Would you like to talk about it?"

She shook her head, "No, thank you though. I came to terms with it quite some time ago and time has helped stop most of the nightmares as well as helped me be able to remember happy memories. It's just- I can't help feeling guilty about moving on. A handful of years seems too soon. If he had meant so much to me, surely I wouldn't be ready yet."

Wanting to look her in the eyes, he turned her so she was facing him again, "Everyone's hearts heal at different rates. There is no wrong or right way or time, so long as _you_ are ready. And just because you have developed feelings for someone else, does not mean that he will be replaced in your heart. You are simply adding more love."

Looking gravely at her, he posed a question for her, "What if the situations were reversed? What if you had died instead? Would you have wanted him to find happiness again?"

"Of course. I wouldn't want him to go through life alone," she said as if the answer were self-evident. He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to work through to the obvious conclusion on her own. She paused for a few thoughtful moments before nodding.

He waited a few more moments for her to digest all of that before asking, "Is there anything else you feel is holding you back?"

Her expression was answer enough to tell him there was indeed more to her reluctance, "I also worry about losing someone else I care about. The first time broke me and left me in a dark place for a long time. I don't know if I could take it again."

"This is something only you can decide. Though, I think you are stronger than you realize. You must also try to remember that you can't lead your life in fear of what _might _happen, as you risk missing out on something wonderful; something that could make that possibility of loss worth it," he counseled.

Silence reigned for a few moments before she finally said, "I will have to give this more thought. Thank you, Master Splinter." Terra leaned forward to give the grizzled rat a hug.

After she had fished her tea, Master Splinter sent her away with a pat, telling her to take the next few days off from training so she could meditate on this. An unbalanced heart led to unbalance in other aspects of life, and training in that condition would do her little good.

Deciding a little meditation of his own was in order, he turned towards the dojo, having to stop a moment as a fit of coughs racked his frame. Shaking off the brief episode and catching his breath, he continued on, not seeing a concerned looking Donatello looking on from the entrance of his lab.

**Notes:**

I know my timeline is a bit messed up, but I didn't want to skip past any of the major holidays. One, I wanted a reason to get them all together; two, I have some plans for some of the future holidays already. I did decide that in my universe, the turtles would celebrate some of the bigger holidays in New York. I figured that even though he didn't have any personal memories or connections to any of them, Splinter wouldn't want the boys missing out on anything (not to mention April's influence).

Considering how much I struggled with deciding to put it in after all, I didn't go into as much detail with the character death as I planned. Which was one reason I did that scene from Splinter's POV, to try and give a bit of distance.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway. I make no promises on when the next chapter will be out. It might be another month. I will try to get it out sooner, but my muse has been suspiciously absent. Will definitely finish it though, especially since I have my entire timeline worked out and have plans for future stories with the other brothers that would be a continuation of this universe.


	9. Chapter 9

Notes:

Weeeeellll, this took longer than expected. Sorry, everyone. I wanted to make sure I could get far enough ahead that I could see if there was anything I wanted to change in this chapter and I was having trouble getting past one particular, pivotal scene (per usual) for the next chapter. The good news is, I have at least another chapter worth written. Just need to type it up and glance over it.

I realize this chapter likely has some grammar/typo errors and I will be going over/fixing anything I find, but wanted to post this since it had been so long. I was glancing over some of my previous chapters, and boy-howdy did I miss a lot of typos. Going to go through and fix those over the weekend, hopefully.

Thanks everyone for sticking with this story.

**Mikey's POV**

_Whoot, whoot! An extra day off!_ Master Splinter had said he was feeling a bit tired and had given them a rare extra day off from training, stating they could all use a rest after the events of the last few days.

Mikey practically danced into the kitchen, spotting Terra as she made her way into the Lair, carrying a sack.

"Hey, hey!" he bounced over to her, "We have the day off. Want to hang out? I found an awesome new skating spot while I was exploring the other day."

"Sure. Just let me check on Raph and drop this off," she said as she held up the sack.

"Oooooo, what did you bring? Are there snacks in there?" he reached for the bag to go snooping, but Terra snatched it out of reach.

"Oh no you don't. They are for Raph," she scolded.

Mikey pouted, "I got hurt too."

Terra rolled her eyes at his antics, "But you aren't stuck on bedrest." Mikey laid on his best sad face until she relented. "Fine, next time I will bring you down something too. But this is for Raph. Amongst other things, I picked him up a case of his favorite beer." She opened the sack enough for him to see the tops of the bottles, "The big baby is always complaining I never have beer in the house, so to make it up to him, I brought some here."

She paused as they heard a frustrated roar and a crash from Raph's room. "Someone is still in a bad mood from being cooped up, huh?" Terra asked.

"That's an understatement. Just watch out for flying objects when you go in there," he cautioned.

Listening to his warning, Terra knocked on Raph's door, waiting for a reply before poking her head in. "Hey!" she greeted him as she slid into the room.

Mikey followed warily, deciding to stop at the edge of the door in case Raph decided to keep throwing things.

In response to Terra's greeting, his brother just grunted, his bad mood obvious.

"Brought you some things to help your recovery. If you are nice, that is," she held out the bag of goodies.

He raised an eye ridge at it, "Anything in there to help prevent me going insane from boredom?"

An unladylike snort was the response, "Too late for that, but this should make you a little more tolerable to everyone else, Mr. Crankypants."

He took the sack and glanced inside. "Well, this should help, I suppose," he finally let a small grin break through, "Thanks, Shrimp." He used his latest nickname for Terra that he had started calling her in hopes it would annoy her. Far from it, it turned out Terra didn't mind being the short one for once. At 6 ft, she certainly wasn't considered short by most people.

They had been surprised when she had told them she was the shortest in her family. Seeing their disbelieving looks at the time, she had pulled up a photo of her family, pointing to each person as she explained, "My sister and Dad are both 6'1", Mom is 6'4", and my brother is almost 6'8"."

By now she was used to the nickname, so she just grinned back.

Remembering the new comic he wanted to show her, Mikey retreated from the room to go retrieve it for after she was done. So far, she was fairly neutral towards comics, not having a particular interest in them, but that had made Mikey determined to find one that she would like.

On his way back, Mikey almost bumped into Leo, who was apparently still headed to the dojo. "Whoops! Sorry, Dude. Gonna show Terra this bad boy."

Leo eyed the comic book in his hand with disapproval, "Just because Dad said we could have an extra day off, doesn't mean you should totally neglect any training. As a ninja, you should strive to be the best you can."

Mikey was normally fairly laid back and content with letting his two older brothers pull the stupid macho alpha bit with each other, but between Raph's foul mood and Leo acting like he had a stick up his ass lately, Mikey had had enough. "_Some_ of us know when to have a bit of fun," Mikey straightened.

"A _bit_ of fun? All you do is screw around," Leo growled while getting into Mikey's space, but the younger turtle held his ground.

The orange banded turtle narrowed his eyes, "Maybe if you learned how to have some fun, you wouldn't have been such an asshole lately."

Behind Leonardo, Mikey saw Donatello start to approach them, hesitating a moment as he felt the tension in the room, "Leo, can I talk with you? It's important."

Their leader seemed reluctant to break eye contact with Michelangelo, but Don's worried tone was enough to pull him away, "What is it, Donnie?"

Don was wringing his hands as he explained, "I'm worried about Dad. He had been tiring out easily for the past couple weeks and over the last couple of days, has developed a bad cough. He says he is alright, but I convinced him to let me take his temperature and he definitely has a low-grade fever. It is fairly mild right now, but I'm worried it will get worse."

Mikey and Leo looked at each other in concern, their fight forgotten in lieu of Don's announcement.

"Dad is sick?"

"What does he have?"

Their questions overlapped in their haste to get answers.

"I'm going to keep an eye on him and run some tests. It could just be a cold, but with his age, I'm worried about the possibility of pneumonia."

Their older brother continued questioning the family doctor, but Mikey had caught sight of Terra who was listening from a distance, clearly having overheard. Noting the stricken look on her face, he slipped away from his brothers to pull her over to the couch so she could sit down. "Don't worry, he's got Doctor Don on the case. He will be ok," he tried to reassure her.

Terra smiled weakly, "I know. Sorry, Mikey. I should be the one telling you that."

"Nah, that's what I'm here for," he said, bumping her shoulder lightly with his own.

**Leo's POV**

Leonardo sat with his father for a time, even though he was sound asleep, he just wanted the reassurance of his presence.

_How could I not have noticed?_ Well, he knew how, he had let himself get caught up in his emotional indecision when he should have been looking after his family. If he had been paying attention, then maybe he would have noticed the cough and Splinter's drawn and tired appearance after training.

Some time later, he got up to leave, having made a decision. It was time he put this silly crush and confusion behind him. He had seen how distressed Don was. As the leader and the oldest, he was supposed to be the strong one, to protect and support his brothers.

**Don's POV**

Splinter's condition continued to worsen over the next few days; his fever went up and he slept more often, but even when he was awake, he had to deal with the coughing and shortness of breath.

Terra, April, and even Casey came and went during this time to check on Splinter; the women dropping off meals to try and make things easier on them.

Leo had stopped disappearing from the Lair and Don could tell he was trying his best to be strong for all of his brothers, but even with his effort, he was still emotionally distant. If Donatello had to guess, he would say it was likely just Leo not wanting to burden his younger brothers with his own worry. Donnie, who knew it wasn't healthy for someone to hold everything in, resolved to talk with him.

The next opportunity came after Don had finished updating his brothers on their father's condition. The normally cheerful Michelangelo was unusually somber, and Leo had been trying his best to comfort and cheer his baby brother up. For all his efforts though, Mikey hadn't quite been able to shake his worry.

"Let me know if you need anything from me," Leo called as Mikey trudged to the kitchen to prepare Splinter some tea.

As Mikey walked away, Don noticed the oldest turtle's defeated look. "You know, Leo, if _**you **_need someone to talk to, we are here as well," he offered.

"I'll be fine, Don," Leo patted him on his shoulder, "I'm going to go sit with Dad for a bit, in case he needs something."

After the blue banded turtle had walked away, Don exchanged looks with Mikey, who shook his head, "Just give him time. Between Dad being sick and him refusing to admit he has feelings for Terra, it is probably going to be a while before he will want to talk about stuff."

Donatello froze in surprise. He hadn't realized Mikey had noticed the cause of their oldest brother's original distress. The youngest played the clown so often, they tended to forget how perceptive their baby brother could be when it came to emotional stuff.

Finally, Donnie sighed, "Let's hope it is sooner rather than later. I feel like things are going to get worse before they get better."

**Terra's POV**

The latest update on Master Splinter from Donnie had not been a good one. Not only had the fever yet to break, but over the last couple of days, Splinter had been having moments of confusion as well. The last time Terra had stopped by to check on him, his change in appearance had shocked her. Waiting as he recovered from one of the coughing fits that seemed to come all the time now, Terra had thought that for the first time since she had known the elderly rat, that he looked frail.

Currently, she sat at home, worrying what the next text or call from the guys would be. If she hadn't been worried about crowding them, she would have been down there every day after work. Even if the others weren't bothered by it though, she figured Leo probably would be, and she didn't want to add more stress to his already full plate.

Since her last big talk with Splinter, as he had suggested, she had done a lot of thinking. She realized he was right and had decided she didn't want to miss out on the chance of something wonderful due to fear and inaction on her part.

Having made her decision, she planned to talk it out with Leo. If he rejected her- well, then at least she had tried. However, now wasn't the time for it; she would wait until Splinter was well on his way to recovery before bringing it up. Leo didn't need anything else to deal with right now.

Terra looked down at her phone, a text from Mikey lighting it up.

**Leo's POV**

He hadn't meant to end up here. Things had gotten so crazy, he had gone for a run to help clear his mind and get his emotions under control, planning on returning to the Lair afterwards. His feet however, seemed to have a mind of their own. Currently, he stood atop Terra's roof, hidden from sight and wrestling with himself over whether to see her or not. No matter how much he told himself otherwise, he had sorely missed talking with her and having someone he didn't need to be the leader with.

The decision ended up being made for him when he heard the door to the roof open and Terra's soft voice called out, "Leo? You up here?"

Taking a deep breath, he walked into view. "How did you know I was up here?" he questioned.

Terra held up her phone, "Mikey. He was worried about you and wondered if you had shown up here." She took in his strained face and tense posture, "Did something else happen? Mikey didn't say."

Leo swallowed around the lump forming in his throat, looking to the side. If he met her gaze now, he felt like he was going to break down. "Splinter," he managed to say in a steady voice, even if it was a bit thick, "He has gotten worse. Donnie isn't sure if he will make it."

A clatter of pebbles told him that Terra was moving. She approached slowly, as if he were a startled deer she was worried she would spook away. Finally, he felt her hand, cool from the night air, touch his arm. She remained in place until he relented and looked over at her, the concern and sorrow clear on her face.

The minute he met her gaze, she stepped closer, wrapping him in a hug and tucking her head against his chest. She didn't say anything, just held him, a warm and comforting weight pressed against him. After a moment's hesitation, his arms wrapped around her, dropping his head down to hers, so she was tucked under his chin. Silent tears tracked down his face, wetting his mask; finally letting out some of the weakness he couldn't show to his brothers, not when they were supposed to be able to lean on him and count on him to lead them through this.

Leo didn't know how long they stood there like that, but eventually, Terra drew back and grabbed one of his hands to lead him gently down to her kitchen. Soon enough, she had a cup of tea wrapped in his hands and had them both ensconced on the couch, with her sitting near him and their knees just touching.

It took a bit, but she eventually drew out words from him. She let him voice his worries over possibly losing his dad, not denying them or simply telling him it would be alright. She did, however, offer a bit of advice, "I know you feel like you don't want to burden them with this, but you should talk with your brothers. They are your family, and that is what family is for, or at least it should be. They know better than anyone what you are going through. Besides, it might be comforting to them to know you are feeling the same way they are."

He gazed towards the window and lights outside, still unsure. Seeing that he needed some time to think about it, Terra drew him into other conversation, asking him questions about when they were kids. He let himself be distracted, telling stories about the mischief he and his brothers had gotten into and how poor Master Splinter had dealt with four rambunctious youngsters that hated being cooped up.

Terra had sent a text to Mikey earlier as she made the tea, letting him know Leo was here and ok, but as dawn got closer, Leo felt he had to get back to the Lair. His brothers would need him, and he wanted to check on Master Splinter himself. Even though he knew his brothers would have called if anything had changed, he still would feel better seeing with his own eyes. Besides which, looking at the bags under Terra's eyes and the yawns she was trying to hide, he felt a twinge of guilt for keeping her up all night.

"You need to get some rest. I'm sorry I kept you up so long." Before he realized what he was doing, he had reached up to brush a strand of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. His brain caught up with his action and he made to snatch his hand away. Before he could pull it away, one of her hands covered his, holding it to her cheek.

Her eyes were earnest as she said, "Don't be sorry. I'm glad you came over. I'll always be around if you need to talk or just need a spot to get away for a bit."

The skin on his cheeks darkened in what was their approximation of a blush. He cleared his throat, but his voice still came out with a slight hitch as he managed a, "Thank you."

Leo had quickly gathered his things and headed out, but the whole run home, he swore he could still feel here warm hand covering his and the brush of soft skin under his palm as he cupped her face.

**Raph's POV**

The sound of Raph's fists striking leather echoed around the room. He was trying to lose himself in the rhythm, having already tried and failed at distracting himself by lifting weights. A particularly hard thwack to the punching bag led to a ripping sound as the training equipment finally gave out. Raph growled and flung the useless thing against the wall in frustration. With the state he was in, the poor punching bag never stood a chance. They had reinforced the bag, but even under normal circumstances, he had to hold back in order to prevent this very thing from happening.

He was no longer on bedrest, not that his brothers could have kept him in bed with things as they were now. At least he wasn't trapped in his room, being totally useless. He snorted, now he could be totally useless anywhere in the Lair. There was nothing _to_ do, other than wait.

Leonardo had disappeared from the Lair a few hours earlier, which surprised Raphael since Fearless hadn't left their father's side unless he had to over the past few days. After Terra's text to Mikey though, it had made sense to him.

The sound of footsteps made Raph whirl around. In the entrance stood Leo. He pointed to what was left of the bag, "What did it do to you?"

Not ready to deal with his older brother right now, Raphael made to storm out; if he didn't, he likely would end up wanting to punch the blue-banded turtle instead, and another fight between the brothers wasn't the last thing Splinter needed.

"Raph, wait," Leo requested, forestalling Raph's exit, "Please, I want to talk with all of you."

"Oh, _now_ you want to talk?" Raph asked sarcastically, "After disappearing constantly and then shutting yourself off from us." Deep down, Raphael could understand that Leo had done it because of his own inner turmoil- it was something Raph himself tended to do when dealing with his own emotions- but at the moment, he was too upset to want to understand.

"Please, Raph," Leonardo said with a pleading look. The tone in his brother's voice gave him pause, the hint of desperation finally breaking through his anger enough to agree to talk. With a nod, he followed as Leo gathered up their other two brothers.

Once he had them gathered in one place, the oldest turtle turned, "I'm sorry. I know I haven't been acting like a very good leader- or brother- lately. I haven't dealt with my emotions well and I know I've let you all down. It's just-" he looked over towards their father's room and Raph noted with shock the distress in his brother's eyes and the fact that he could now clearly see his brother had been crying recently, "-I'm scared."

Mikey was the first to shake his surprise at their brother's rare show of vulnerability and moved forward to grab him in a hug. "I know, bro, we all are." This seemed to break the spell, and the other two moved forward to embrace him as well. The wall that had seemed to build up between them lately, started coming down.

With Michelangelo once again leading the way, the four finally began actually talking again. Similar to what Leo had done at Terra's, they voiced their own fears and helped comfort each other. Leo brought up some of the stories he had been reminded of earlier, and some of the stories actually coaxed a laugh from them all.

Raphael shook his head, privately glad to have his older brother back. Leo looked at him questioningly, to which Raph replied, "Just glad you seem to have realized it is ok to need us, just as much as we need you… Bonehead."

Leo had the grace to look abashed, "Well, I had some help realizing it. I love you guys, always will."

The larger turtle looked away, embarrassed, "Alright, enough with all the sappy crap. Master Splinter could probably use some soup right now… or something." Never one to feel comfortable discussing feelings too long, he clapped his brother on the shell before walking to the kitchen.

**Don's POV**

"Leo!" Don called his brother over to the computers, "The police scanners are going crazy. Several gangs are causing chaos all over the city. The chief just called asking for our help. The police can't keep up with all of it."

"Do you think the Foot is behind this sudden uprising of gangs in the city?" the leader asked.

Don could only shrug, "It's possible. This could be a ploy to draw us out."

With Splinter sick, the brothers had ceased their patrols, not wanting to be too far from the Lair just in case. "What do we do? There are a lot of people getting hurt or killed." Donnie asked.

Leo looked torn, he glanced over at Splinter's room, clearly conflicted about leaving while their father's health was so uncertain. "We can't just ignore this. We have a duty to protect this city. Don, you stay here. If Sensei gets worse, let us know right away," Leo started issuing orders, heading off to let the other two know.

Donnie nodded, not liking his brothers going without him to help watch their backs, but understanding and agreeing with the necessity.

Don stayed behind, monitoring the scanners and directing the others to where they were needed most. Anxiously, he kept an eye on their phones' trackers on his screen as well. It was his only option for keeping real-time tabs on them.

Suddenly the emergency alarm he had installed on Terra's phone started going off. The genius turtle had installed the alert so that she could activate if she were ever in trouble.

"Shell!" None of them had thought to warn her of the danger and tell her to stay home where it was safe.

Needing to check on her, Donatello called her phone while pulling up her tracker as well. The phone range twice and a breathless Terra answered, "Don?! I need help."

"What's happening?" Don asked, trying to gather more details as he sent the alert to his brothers. The three turtles were thankfully relatively close to her position.

There was panting on the other end of the line, "I had a run in with some members of the Purple Dragons. I managed to get away, but they have cornered me in a parking garage. I can hide for a while, but they have all the exits covered."

"Ok, the others are on their way. They should be there in a few minutes. Just keep calm and try to stay hidden. If they do find you, try to buy some time," Donnie relayed directions to her, "Don't talk anymore so they have less of a chance of hearing you, but I want you to leave the line open so I can listen in on what is going on."

"Ok."

The lanky turtle could hear the fear in her voice, but she didn't seem to be panicking, so that was good. He muted his end and relayed the rest of the info to his brothers. It was frustrating not to be able to go help, but his brothers were closer anyway, and his job was to stay with Sensei.

**Terra's POV**

Terra tried to quiet her harsh breathing, using some of the techniques Leo had taught her. Right now, she was crouched down beside a delivery van, using the tires to, hopefully, block the view of her feet. She could hear a set of footsteps nearing her hiding spot, the echoes making it hard to pinpoint him.

There were five of them in the garage with her, having left one behind in her first struggle with them. One stood near each of the two sets of stairs and elevators, and one was posted up blocking the end the cars drove up; that left just the one searching for her.

Leaning down to look under the vehicle, she could see boots just a couple rows over. As she deliberated on what to do, the man came closer, sweeping through each row and even checking the backs of trucks. She made a decision as he approached her line of cars, having came up with only one idea. Terra grabbed a loose bit of concrete and flicked it across to clatter on the ground. The split second of distraction was all she needed. While his head was turned the other way, she kept low and slipped around the front of the vehicle, using it to shield her from his view.

The relief was short-lived though as she heard a shout, "She is behind you! Back about 5 or 6 cars, against the east wall!"

_Crap!_ She had forgotten about her feet. One of the others had apparently been watching under the vehicles, looking for movement.

Springing from her hiding place, Terra took off, planning on vaulting over the short concrete wall onto the ramp below. Leo had taught her how to fall and how to land so she was less likely to hurt herself, and hopefully, her klutziness wouldn't pick this moment to show itself. Just barely staying ahead of the closest gang member, a final bound over the wall took her out of reach. Leo's training held and she bent her knees and rolled, lessening the impact, though it still sent a jolt up her legs as she landed.

Glancing behind her as she tried to take off down the ramp, she collided with something solid. Terra had enough time to look around and recognize the sixth gang member they had left behind earlier, his eyes still red and his nose dribbling snot, a memento from her first escape. Before she could do anything else, he grabbed her and slammed her against the ground. Having learned from their previous mistakes, the man pinned her hands and legs, keeping her head away from his face.

Terra struggled, but he was too heavy for her meager strength to do much, and she had no leverage to break out of his hold. Another member sauntered down the ramp, flipping a knife between his hands, "Gotcha, bitch. Now I can make you pay for this." He gestured to his broken nose, the blood still dripping down his face.

Terra could feel the fear taking over, the panic making her want to scream. Closing her eyes to help her calm down, she tried to come up with a plan to buy some time. There were several sudden thuds and the pressure pinning her down disappeared. Opening her eyes, she saw two Purple Dragons already on the ground. Her rescue had arrived!

There were blurs of movement and the sound of fists on flesh as Raph and Mikey took care of three of them. The last remaining Dragon was the one who had had the knife out. Leonardo had him by the throat, held in the air and struggling futilely. The blue-banded turtle's face was contorted in rage. Terra had never seen him that angry.

Leonardo sneered at the man in his grip before flinging him against the concrete wall. There was a crack as the made collided with the surface and dropped unmoving to the ground.

Leo was to her first, checking her for injuries, with his serious face tinged with worry. Finding her uninjured, his expression went blank, his iron control back in place and hiding his emotions. Mikey made it over to her next, "You ok? What happened?" After assuring him she was fine, she started relating what had happened.

**Earlier…**

Just as Terra pulled the manhole cover back to climb down into the sewers, a scream sounded nearby, and she heard running footsteps coming towards her. Dropping the cover back into place, she tried to melt into the shadows and hide by the dumpster.

A girl that looked to be about 14 or 15 years old came sprinting around the corner. Trying to dash down the alley, the girl tripped, looking back fearfully as she scrambled to get up.

"Come back! We just want to play!" a malicious voice called as six men came around the corner as well. It was hard to see many details in the dark, but Terra caught a flash of a Purple Dragon tattoo on the arm of the one in front. The men advanced on the girl and spread out to surround her, their backs turned to Terra. As quietly as she could, Terra grabbed a loose piece from the frame of some metal furniture someone had thrown near the dumpster.

Terra knew this was a stupid idea, but there was no time to call the turtles, and certainly no time for the police to get here. She rushed forward silently, attacking the closest from behind and sending him staggering.

"Run!" she shouted at the girl, whose frightened face had turned towards her in shock before she tried to take off again. Two of the men rushed after her, grabbing her arm before she could make it to the end of the alley.

The other three turned on Terra menacingly, one grabbing the metal rod as she swung it at him and wrenching it away from her to send it clattering against the wall. "Well, well, another toy for us. Aren't we lucky tonight?" the apparent leader of the group said. The three were arrogant, not believing her a threat. They learned their mistake as the first tried to grab her. Even with her limited training and experience, learning from a ninja had prepared her well enough to evade his hold. The second guy tried to come up behind her and Terra managed to stomp on his foot while turning and shoving him, leaving him off balance, which allowed her to land a kick where it would hurt the most, twisting away.

Pulling her pepper spray from her pocket, she whirled towards the third man and managed to empty a good portion into his face. As the man clutched his face, shouting, someone grabbed Terra from behind and caged her arms to her side. This time neither putting him off balance or raking her shoe along his shin did anything; but his breathing was loud in her ear, telling her his head was not far behind hers. Whipping her head back as hard as she could, she heard a satisfying crunch, which she could only assume was the man's nose. It loosened his hold on her enough for her to break free.

Down the alley, the other two had seen their companions' issues and one let go of the girl to come back towards them. Using the distraction, she wriggled loose from her last captor and took off running. Seeing that the kid should be able to get away, Terra took off in the other direction.

The thugs knew the younger girl was likely out of their reach at this point, so they took off after Terra. The three injured men particularly interested in their revenge.

As she ran, she fumbled her phone from her pocket to hit the emergency beacon Donnie had installed. A glance back told her she wouldn't be able to outrun the men, so instead, she darted into a nearby parking garage, tearing off towards the stairs and hoping to get out of sight long enough to hide.

This had been the point Don had called her.

**Present time…**

Having finished her explanation, Terra fell silent. Leo had his back turned to them, so she couldn't see his reaction, but when he spoke, his voice sounded… tight. "Come on. We are taking her back to her house," he issued the command and took off without a backward glance.

Raph laid a hand on her shoulder, "Good job, kid."

"I'm older than you, you know," she grumbled.

He chuckled, "You're such a shrimp that sometimes I forget."

On her other side, Mikey offered a thumbs up of his own, his approval clear.

**Meanwhile…**

The turtles were so busy listening to Terra's explanation, they failed to notice one of the thugs had regained consciousness. He was careful to remain motionless, so he wouldn't draw attention to himself. Listening from his position, it became clear to him that these mutant freaks knew this woman. The Foot would pay well for information on the turtles and any potential weaknesses. It looked as if they had at least one _very_ exploitable weakness.

**Leo's POV**

Leonardo tried to quell the anger he felt as they ran. When they had come upon the scene and saw the man standing over Terra with a knife as the other held her down, he saw red. Before he even knew what he was doing he had downed one man, likely crushing his windpipe, and had another by the throat. His restraint had just barely held, stopping him from doing the same to the second. The only thing that had broke through his rage, was his need to check on Terra and make sure she was unhurt.

The turtles tried to avoid killing when possible, usually knocking out or incapacitating their enemies when possible, but with their profession, sometimes killing did happen. However, he had never killed out of anger before. The last time he had felt such violence towards someone was when the Shredder had attacked and injured Master Splinter.

He shook his head; he had been right, he had let his emotions get out of control. Even though it was just a few seconds, his tunnel vision could cause much worse results next time.

A glance back at the others confirmed the other's positions. Mikey was carrying Terra so they could take the rooftops back to her place.

_I was right about something else too._ He had known from the start that their friendship with Terra would put her in danger. She wouldn't have been out in the alley at that time of night if she hadn't been coming to check on them. He scoffed at himself. He had let himself believe that by teaching her self-defense and expanding their patrols, that she would be fine. No amount of self-defense would have done her any good had the men decided to pull a gun on her.

Associating with them would continue to put her in danger. What could he do to protect her at this point? He already knew how well it would work to forbid his brothers contact. A small, selfish part of him could also not imagine never seeing her again.

However, this night had emphasized his decision to let go of his infatuation and any hopes of anything else. Even so, he knew he would never be able to cut her out of their lives completely. He would simply have to become a better leader and obtain better control and more distance. At least until he was able to put these feelings aside. Otherwise, he put both his family and her at risk if he didn't maintain control.

Even if he could convince his brothers- and himself- that it was best to cut contact, he would be a monster if he forbid her from seeing Master Splinter right now. The two had become close and she was down often to check on him.

When they had arrived at her building to drop her off, Leo had mastered his expression once again and turned to her before they left, "Try to stay off the streets as much as possible right now. It would be best if you contacted one of us to come get you when you want to come down to the Lair."

Terra nodded and the oldest turtle took the chance to study her face for a moment. Clearly, she was still shaken up, but was putting on a brave face. He longed to stay and comfort her as she had done for him, but even had the city not been in turmoil, leaving them a lot of work to do tonight, he knew it would be a bad idea. He was going to have to steel himself from getting too close. With one last nod to her, he and his brothers slipped out into the night to go protect their city.

Notes:

I have put so many cliches in here, and a lot of you could probably tell which direction this story was going from the beginning, but they are cliches I enjoy/feel like would be accurate.

I promise Leo is almost done being dumb. I don't really like writing angsty Leo so I am glad to be past that part in my writing. I will hint that the next chapter finally gets some things out in the open.


	10. Chapter 10

**Leo's POV**

The guys were kept busy not just that night, but for the next three nights as well. Even with both their efforts, along with the police, the criminals were not so easily put down. Those four nights they spent sunset to sunrise stopping robberies, rapes, shootings, and several other crimes.

Twice they had run-ins with Foot soldiers. Both times having to use their stealth and speed to avoid any serious injury thanks to the new bullets they had.

Thankfully none of the armor-piercing bullets seemed to have been distributed to the other gangs yet. Leo suspected the Foot were hoarding their supply for themselves until the next shipment of weapons came in.

By the time morning came after each night, the three of them would trudge home, exhausted. They would muster enough energy to check on Splinter and then fall into bed.

Suddenly, though, everything went quiet. The spike in crime dropped back down to normal as if nothing had changed. Leonardo was relieved but had to wonder what it meant.

He was soon distracted from his worries when they returned from that morning's patrol. Don was waiting for them, smiling as he hadn't since Master Splinter got sick. Sensing he had good news, they waited hopefully.

"Dad's fever has broken. Well, it broke a couple nights ago, but I wanted to wait and see if it would stay down before getting anyone's hopes up. His coughing seems to have improved a little too," he held up a cautionary hand before they could celebrate, "He isn't quite out of the woods yet. There is going to be a long road to recovery ahead."

Despite his warning, the brothers couldn't help but celebrate, and Don found himself piled on top of by all of them in a hug. It was the best news they had had in a long while.

**Terra's POV**

Terra and April heard the news right after the other brothers found out; and now that crime was temporarily down, both made another trip down to see Splinter.

Not long after, Terra had to leave since she would be traveling for work for about a week. Despite being a consultant and being in a different state, there were some rare meetings and conferences by her company that she was expected to attend in person.

Two of the days she would be making presentations and answering questions so their governance committee could get a full update on her work here and the progress on the projects they had put in place. The only good part of this was that since her company would be covering her travel expenses, she would be able to stop and visit her family on the way back. So long as nothing came up, she planned to stay a week with them. Splinter's health issues had her missing her own family dearly.

When she had left, Mikey of course, made an overdramatic farewell and she had needed to promise to text and send lots of pictures while she was gone.

Once on the plane, she couldn't help but think how odd it would be not being able to tell her family anything about what had happened over the past months. The turtles and Master Splinter had become such a big part of her life; they were practically like a second family. Her time in New York certainly would have felt quite empty without them.

The meetings passed surprisingly quick, even if she was fighting sleep from the jetlag and the funding debates that just seemed to go round and round. Before she knew it, she was on her way home.

When she arrived at the airport, she expected to see just her parents there to pick her up, but when she exited the baggage claim area, she found herself mobbed by not only her parents, but her siblings and sister-in-law as well. Between the emotional stress she had been under lately and the joy of seeing her family, she found herself both laughing and crying. Thankfully, her family didn't question her too much on it, accepting her explanation that she had just been homesick.

They all piled into her parents' van; apparently, they hadn't wanted to take two vehicles and miss out on catching up on the drive. Her brother and her fought over their favorite seat just like they had as kids, but now Terra had an ace in the hole in the form of her sister-in-law. "James Oliver Longstrom, let your sister have the seat. She is only back for a little while," his wife chided him.

Terra gave him a smug look and stuck out her tongue. Their father gave a mock glare into the mirror from the front. "No fighting, or we make you both walk," he jokingly used the same threat he had when they were younger, a punishment he had never actually enforced, but the nostalgia made them both grin.

They all had dinner together that night at their parents' house, and her mom of course had gone overboard with the food. By the end of the night, all of them were so stuffed that no one wanted to move.

Her brother and his wife went home for the night, but her sister Rachel decided to stay the night, since she lived a couple hours drive away. The two stayed up long after her parents had retired to bed, talking like they hadn't had a chance to in forever. She tried to stay in touch with everyone while she was away, but talking over the phone wasn't the same.

"Sooooo, tell me how New York has really been?" her sister asked.

"What do you mean? I've been talking about it all day."

Rachel rolled her eyes, "You've been talking about work all day. Surely you have been doing things outside of work. What about new friends? Have you snagged yourself a hot New York guy yet? Secretly gotten married and are now pregnant?"

She smirked back, "Yes, in the 6 months since I saw you last I had a secret shotgun wedding and you are now an aunt. What else would I be doing?"

Her sister nudged her, "C'mon. You have been super vague and acting all distracted. We worry about you out there by yourself, ya know."

It was so tempting to confide in her sister. Surely it would be ok if she just could keep the guys' identity- and species- secret.

Before she could even say anything though, her sister arched a brow, "It is guy trouble, isn't it? Do we need to kill someone?"

"No, nothing like that. There is someone, but I haven't even told this guy I like him yet," she tried to explain, "Things are complicated."

"I haven't seen you this flustered since high school. You're a grown woman, just tell him how you feel. Complicated or not, if he feels the same way, things will work out."

Terra gave her sister a look that let her know how unhelpful she found that, "That is easy for you to say. Besides, I plan on telling him, but it hasn't been the right time. His dad has bee really sick lately and it didn't seem like an appropriate time."

"Well, you got me there. So, what is this guy like?" Rachel asked with a grin.

Terra finally gave in to the temptation and told her about Leo, if an abridged version, leaving out the bits about him being a mutant turtle and fighting criminals at night. It felt safe telling her sister about this stuff. Rachel was always there to talk if you needed it, but she usually let people tell her things in their own time. Once she established that you were ok, she didn't push like some people would, letting you tell what you were comfortable with, when you felt like it.

That night, she and her sister stayed up most of the night talking, and the next week flew by for Terra. As promised, she had been keeping in touch with Mikey and sent lots of pictures. In return, he kept her updated on how Splinter's health was doing. The elderly rat had been improving steadily, still not able to fully shake the cough yet, but Don assured them that it would just take time.

It was great news and Terra was happy about it, but she knew it probably also meant it was time she had that talk she had promised herself with the oldest turtle.

Her plane touched down late in the day and she barely took the time to drop off her things at home before heading down to the sewers. If the guys were going on patrol, they would leave soon after dark, and she didn't want to miss them.

Terra entered the sewers to find the main room empty. A crash near the kitchen heralded Mikey's appearance. The young turtle was currently stacking snacks onto the pile of food already in his arms. The crash had been a can of spray cheese that had escaped from the top of said pile. He was so busy trying to nab the can without spilling anything else, that he hadn't noticed her yet.

"Hey, Mikey!" she called and jogged over, intending on picking up the can for him. Upon seeing her though, Mikey's face lit up in surprise and a smile split his face before he promptly dropped the whole pile in lieu of sweeping her up into a hug.

"Terra! When did you get here? How was the trip? Did you miss me?" More questions kept spilling out as he chattered excitedly.

Knowing how long he could keep going without even stopping for a breath, she opted to take the simplest route for getting a word in edgewise. One of the donuts from his horde of snacks had fallen onto the counter, so she snatched it up and quickly stuffed it into his mouth to stem the flow of questions. "I just got in. It was good. I promise to tell you all about it later. And of course I missed you."

He held up a finger as he chomped on the donut. When his mouth was - mostly - clear, he gave her a pouty look, "Later? You aren't sticking around?"

"I, uh, actually need to talk with Leo about something real quick," she knew a blush was creeping onto her face as she said the words.

A look of realization dawned over the turtle's face, "Are you finally going to have _**the**_ talk?"

"What?" she asked, surprised.

"You know, are you finally going to tell him you like him?"

Terra threw her hands up, "Jeez, does everyone know? I didn't think I was mooning over him quite that bad."

A shrug was the reply she got since he had nonchalantly taken another bite of donut.

She put her hands on her hips and waited expectantly until he finished. "Uh, not sure. Don't know if Raph has figured it out. Leo is still clueless about it as far as I can tell."

A sigh escaped her, "I think he might know. He has been avoiding me lately. Only thing I can think is that he figured it out and it has made him so uncomfortable he can't be around me."

"Nah, don't worry. He is totally into you," Mikey casually dropped the information on her.

"Really?" she asked, still doubtful.

"Yeah, he is just doing his whole 'tough leader' thing, where he thinks he has to be perfect and emotionless. Do me a favor, and don't let him put you off so easily. You just gotta get through the shell."

"Hmmm," she hummed doubtfully, "Alright, I suppose. If you say so. Where is he?"

Mikey turned her and ushered her in the direction of their bedrooms, "He is in his room. Perfect place to corner him."

Not sure she liked the choice of words implying she was going to force Leo into anything, she glanced back at Michelangelo. The orange banded turtle was already backing away though and shot her a thumbs up and a wink before retreating to the kitchen.

Smoothing her clothes in a nervous gesture, she knocked on his door. There was a call to come in, so she opened it to see a shocked looking Leonardo reclined on the bed, in the process of taking off his headphones. He scrambled to his feet, "Oh, um, hey. You made it back ok."

"Yep. Presenting went fast. Got it over quick like a band-aid, mostly painless," she tried not to seem uncomfortable, "It was great seeing my family again."

"That's good. I'm glad," Leo nodded before starting towards the door, "I better go. Sun will be down soon, and I promised Don I would make a run to the dump to pick up some parts since he and Raph are working on the truck."

"Actually, can I talk with you?" She noticed he neatly sidestepped the had she hand reached out to lay on his arm in order to stop him. He looked ready to refuse. "Please? It is important," she added. She didn't know how much longer she could take this awkwardness between them.

_Here's hoping Mikey is right. _A deep breath was all the preparation she allowed herself, afraid she would chicken out or he would leave. "Things between us have been off lately and I'm hoping to fix that. I'd at least like to know why." At this point, the oldest turtle looked distinctly uncomfortable, and if she wasn't mistaken, slightly panicked. His eyes had widened, and he opened his mouth to say something.

"Wait," she cut in, needing to lay everything out, "Listen, I just want to know if it is because I made you uncomfortable somehow. I don't know if I did or said something… or if you realized I have feelings for you and don't feel the same way," the last bit came out in a rush and she looked down to her hands, where they were twisting together, too afraid to see his reaction.

**Leo's POV**

They were trained to react to the unexpected, but Leo found himself frozen in shock. She… she had feelings for him too? He hadn't let himself **_really consider_** that possibility, too concentrated with squashing his own feelings. For a moment, he felt his heart soar, before reality brought it crashing back down. This didn't really change anything though, did it? A relationship would still be a distraction that could cloud his judgement. Besides, had she really thought this through? Considered all the ramifications? Did she know how much danger she was really in?

She had offered him the perfect excuse, and he knew what he had to do. This was to keep her safe. "I'm sorry. I don't feel the same way. I just didn't know how to tell you." Lying to her left his gut-churning, but if he got this over with, it would be best for her in the long run.

Her face had fallen in disappointment, but she was nodding slightly, so he thought that would be the end of it. "Ok. I'm sorry. I never wanted to make you uncomfortable. I had just hoped to maybe give a relationship a shot. I guess Mikey was wrong after all."

"What? Mikey?" he asked.

"Yeah, he seemed to think that you- well, I guess it doesn't matter- because you don't."

_Damnit, Mikey._ His persistent younger brother had been pestering him since Terra had left; showing him all her updates and pictures, and dropping comments about how he was amazed she wasn't dating anybody yet. And how if _someone_ had any feelings for her _surely _they would have the sense to ask her out before someone else did. Mikey had gotten under his shell easier than normal, considering how stressed and torn he had been about this already.

His annoyance with his younger brother came bubbling up to the surface, finding its way into his voice.

"Well, he was wrong," he snapped, without really meaning to, "You should know how Mikey is. He lets his imagination run wild." _Why can't Mikey keep his nose out of things?_

Terra looked at him oddly, "Don't get upset with Mikey. He probably meant well. I was planning on talking with you about this anyway."

"Yeah, well, he needs to learn to mind his own business. Either way, he ought to have known that a relationship wouldn't work." At the moment, he felt like giving Michelangelo a good smack upside the head; he had made everything worse.

"Wouldn't work? I mean, why not? I can understand if you aren't attracted to me. But if you're concerned about the relationship not working, it might be worth talking through. I had my own concerns that I gave a lot of thought."

Between his annoyance with his brother and kicking himself for his own slip-up, Leonardo found his words coming out harsher than he meant them to, "Look, it just isn't a good idea. It's for your own good."

Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say, because she looked slightly annoyed herself now. "For my own good? Excuse me, but why do you get to decide that for me? You could at least explain. I am an adult and can make my own decisions."

Leo felt the situation spiraling out of his control, and his emotions were riding too high for him to think clearly. Why couldn't she just accept that a relationship was a bad idea? He was just trying to do what was best for her. She couldn't understand just how dangerous their life could be.

"Fine, you want to know why? Look what happened a couple of weeks ago. You're a liability!" He found himself shouting towards the end.

A hurt look flashed across her face before anger mixed with it, "You won't have to worry about that anymore then," she said, not looking at him. Her quiet voice was a sharp contrast to his shouting a moment ago. Without another word, she turned sharply and strode out the open door.

If she had looked back, she would have seen the look of regret on his face, torn as he tried to decide whether to stop her or not. He regretted his words even as they came out of his mouth; leaving him wishing he could take them back. This was what he wanted though, wasn't it?

From the open doorway, he could see the disbelieving look Michelangelo shot him, obviously having overheard everything. Not feeling like dealing with his brother's criticism right now, Leo slammed the door closed.

**Mikey's POV**

Michelangelo couldn't believe it. And they all called _him_ the dumb one. It was obvious Leo liked her, even though he was playing the brooding leader. This was _not_ how you were supposed to react when someone you liked told you they had feelings for you.

Mikey hurried after Terra, catching up with her just outside the Lair. Wisely deciding not to mention the tears she was hastily scrubbing away; he fell into step beside her. She still looked angry enough that he figured she wouldn't want a hug at the moment. "You ok, Dudette?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Just gonna head home. Sorry, Mikey. I don't really feel like hanging out right now. I'll tell you about the trip later. Though, maybe it is a bad idea to hang out with me since I'm apparently a liability."

"Nah, you aren't. He didn't mean that. He just worries about everyone and doesn't know how to say it without…" he paused, trying to find the right phrase.

"Without being an asshole?" she supplied.

"Well-yeah. In this case."

"He is right though. The incident with the Purple Dragons just proves it. Even with the training, I couldn't do anything," she quietly.

Mikey stopped in front of her so she would look at him, "You have been doing great, Dudette. It took us years to get this awesome," he flexed his muscles, trying to cheer her up.

"Yeah, maybe," she muttered noncommittedly, "I'm going to head home. I just need some space to think."

Mikey nodded sadly, "Alright, but let me know if you need a little Mikester sesh."

**Raph's POV**

Raph and Don hadn't been present when the fight happened, but they heard the story of what happened from Mikey. They were also having to deal with the aftermath of it.

Fearless had spent the rest of the night locked in his room and at one point, they heard a large crash from within. Raph had to assume it was the dresser. Leo's room was so spartan, that and the desk were about the only things big enough to make that much noise, and he knew how much Leo loved that desk. It had been a Christmas present the three of them had found and fixed up. It had been quite the haul, as it was one of those old heavy desks.

The high and mighty, Mr. Perfect leader had actually lost his temper enough to break something. Normally, he would be lecturing Raph on that kind of thing, saying that if he just improved his meditation technique, he would be able to control himself… or some bullshit. The large turtle snorted. _See how well that meditation worked out for ya._

Raph would have left it at that and let him pout in his room; but when Leo didn't emerge from his room the next day, Don started becoming more concerned. Raph tried to talk his geeky brother out of it, but Don was adamant. "He at least needs to eat something, even if he doesn't want to talk about it," Donatello insisted.

As expected, Don's attempts were rebuffed with harsh replies. He kind of expected Mikey to give it a try, but the younger turtle was surprisingly upset with their oldest brother.

It was Master Splinter who finally forced him from his room. A sharp word and a reminder of his duty as a leader were all it took for a dutiful, if sullen-looking, Leo to emerge. Their father looked at him silently for a moment before gesturing to his own room, "I wish to speak with you." Leonardo looked hesitant but followed obediently behind.

After a minute, the three remaining brothers traded a look and simultaneously snuck over to eavesdrop. The two of them were talking in low voices, so the brothers had to crowd in close. Raph did manage to catch a few snippets, but nothing too coherent.

The problem with three giant turtles crowding around a doorway to listen in is that they took up a lot of room, and an accident was bound to happen. Donnie tried to turn to mouth something to them, only to whack Mikey in the face with one of his many gadgets he had strapped on. Mikey in turn, jerked his head back, catching Raphael. "Owwww," Mikey whined quietly.

The talking stopped completely and Raph had time to glare at the two younger turtles and growl, "Nimwits," before a stern-looking Master splinter appeared.

Faster than they could follow, his tail whipped out and the three of them found themselves on the ground. "I trust you all have other places to be," their father warned, "If not, I can certainly find you a place- in the hashi."

The brothers took the hint and scrambled to their feet and away from his door.

That night, training took place as usual, though Leo was quiet throughout. Sensei forbid them from patrolling for the night; saying he did not trust them to move as a unit this night. It was an order he hadn't given in a long time and testament to just how worried he was.

Because of this and after an internal debate, Raph found himself standing on the edge of the dojo, watching his older brother going through his katas. As he drew to a stop after finishing the last set, Raph called, "Yer gonna drive her away for good if ya aren't careful."

Without looking at him, the blue-banded turtle started his next set, "Look, I already got a lecture tonight. I don't need one from you. I just want to be left alone."

Raph drew closer, "You keep shuttin' us out and getting annoyed at the other two for buggin ya, but did you consider they are only doin' it cause they care about ya? What you end up deciding to do is on you, but you have a shot at something the rest of us would kill for."

"You don't think I realize that?" Leo stopped completely to face him, "Being a part of our world puts her in danger, and it would be worse if we were to get into a relationship and have it found out by our enemies."

Raphael snorted, "From the sounds of it, she already told you she can make her own choices. If yer worried about it, then explain it to her. Let her decide."

The other turtle gave him an incredulous look, "And if she decides she is ok with it and something still happens? I'm just supposed to live with that? What happens if they use her against me and that puts the rest of you in danger because my judgement is clouded?"

The larger turtle waited until Leo was done ranting, before saying, "For one, that sounds more like your issue and not her fault." With the face Fearless was making, he seemed like he was ready to kick Raph out and tell him exactly what he thought of that advice. Before he could do anything, Raphael continued vehemently, "But, I also know you. There is a reason we all trust you. You won't let something like that affect your ability as a leader to protect everyone. This crap might take you a while to work through, but you will do it. For anotha' thing, you ain't the only one who cares about her. We all do and will all help protect her if it comes down to it. Just think about it, because you might not get another shot."

His brother remained silent, so he turned and left the dojo to give Leo a bit of space.

**Leo's POV**

His father and brothers had certainly given him a lot to think about. Little did he know, the advice Splinter had given had echoed many things he had spoken with Terra about. Splinter had advised him that there is always a potential for loss, but that didn't mean that he had to shut himself off from the possibility of love. Otherwise, he would still lose something precious, he just simply wouldn't realized how much he had lost. Some things were worth the risk and to be treasured for as long as you had them. He couldn't let fear take over.

Master Splinter had also been frustratingly vague when he mentioned that Terra had her own experiences and reason to fear loss, ye she had chosen to open herself up to him and lay her feelings out. Beyond that, Splinter wouldn't explain, saying it wasn't his place and if Leo wanted to know, he would have to ask Terra directly.

Much like his brother's reassurance, Splinter had also voiced his faith in Leo's leadership. Immediately after this though, Splinter had firmly admonished him about losing his temper with Terra. "It is perfectly normal to feel afraid or concerned, but it is not ok to take this out on others. No one but yourself has control over your emotions." The lecture had ended with his father telling him that this was something he needed to decide on his own.

Now Leo was desperately trying to decide whether he had made the right choice. He hadn't wanted a potential relationship to affect the team, but his indecision was already affecting them. His family seemed to have faith in him, but he couldn't say he had faith in himself at the moment, not after how he had handled the last couple of months.

A sigh escaped him. He should have told her the truth earlier and talked it out. Regardless, he knew he owed her an apology.

As he rose to exit the dojo, a panicked looking Donatello rushed in. "April is missing. Casey called and said he hadn't heard from her for almost two days. She wasn't answering her phone, so he checked at her apartment. Her roommate says she hasn't heard from her for about that amount of time too and doesn't know where she is. I traced the chip in her phone, but it was dumped in a random alley. And-" Donatello hesitated like he didn't want to tell the next part.

"What, Donnie?" Leo prompted.

"Terra is missing too."

The next few hours seemed to crawl by. They searched Terra's place for clues and Casey had assured them he had already done so at April's; both groups coming up empty-handed. Currently, they were cornering any criminals with connections to the Foot or Purple Dragons, as both major gangs seemed the most likely suspects.

Don was scouring the internet, police networks, and local traffic camera footage in hopes of digging up some sort of clue. Honestly, the leader was surprised the Foot hadn't gone after April sooner. They knew of her past involvement in foiling the Shredder's plans, and as a well-known reporter, April was especially vulnerable. Her association with a detective and her training had previously soothed a lot of his worry. Now someone had taken both her and Tera; their disappearances were too much of a coincidence to assume otherwise.

The worst part was that he felt responsible for Terra being taken. Based on the timelines for both women's disappearance, she had likely been taken right after their fight. Had they not had that argument she likely would have stayed in the Lair for a good portion of the night to hang out with Mikey. She would have also had an escort home, since that was a fairly normal routine when one of the humans left the sewers late at night. On top of all of that, his failings meant they hadn't patrolled the next night. Maybe they could have caught or stopped the ones that had done this. At the very least, they likely would have known about Terra's disappearance sooner.

As their search dragged on, his last words to her and how they had left the situation, echoed in his head. What if he never saw her again, never got the chance to apologize, or to tell her how he actually felt?

Finally, they had a break in the form of a high-level Purple Dragon thug that they managed to capture.

"What have you heard about two women being abducted in the past couple days?" they questioned, standing over the man. Raph cracked his knuckles in anticipation of the man needing a bit of motivation to talk. To their surprise, he immediately sneered at them and spat, "Fucking freaks. I was told to pass on Mistress Karai's regards." Seeing the looks on their faces, he continued with a nasty grin, "Oh yeah. The Foot has them. They are holding them down by the docks and waiting for you. You might want to hurry though; they said if you took too long finding them, they might just sink them to the bottom of the harbor instead." The man's face morphed into an ugly sneer, "Any human that would associate with you filthy mutants deserves what is coming to them."

There was a crunch as Raph's fist connected with the Purple Dragon's face. His still form slumped forward, unconscious and with blood streaming from his nose.

Leo checked for a pulse, just in case, "Really, Raph? We needed to find out where they were holding them." The big turtle shrugged, looking abashed.

They were preparing to search the man, when Leo's shell cell went off, Donnie's tag popping up on the screen. Unlocking it quickly, Leo answered, "Talk to me Donnie. Tell me you got something."

"I do. Seems Karai distributed a video to several gang members and across various spots on the web, assuming it would get back to us. I'm forwarding it to you now," Don explained.

Pressing play on the video, Karai's face appeared on screen, "Hello, Turtles. I believe we have something- or someones- who you want." The video switched briefly to a struggling April and Terra, who were tied back to back on separate chairs. It was difficult to tell in the brief moment they were shown, but Leo's heart froze as he caught a brief flash of what looked like blood on Terra's face. April was turned farther into the shadow, so it was even harder to tell if she was alright. Both of them were still struggling against their bonds though, so he could only hope they had no major injuries.

Again, the video switched pack to Karai. "But as you know, I am a busy woman and I have found that patience has never been one of my virtues, so you have until midnight on Monday to try and retrieve them. I dearly hope this message reaches you in time, otherwise, you will have to find their bodies in the waters of the harbor." Attached to the message was a location, a warehouse near a freight yard.

A frantic check of the time showed they had an hour until their deadline. "Donnie, meet us there, and hurry," Leo ordered.

**NOTES:**

Finally! Finally past the majority of the angst and onto the action/romance. Thank you all for reading and for those that have left reviews. They really help keep me motivated. This story really got away from me and seemed to develop a life of its own. I hadn't planned on the pre-relationship part of this story being so long, but I think it all worked out in the end and hope it helped everyone get to know the characters and their relationships/motivations better.


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